New technology and optometrists’ expertise go hand in hand in keeping eyes and body healthy
Technology has drastically changed everything from the way we shop or listen to music to how we interact with family and friends. It has also significantly improved the way we literally see the world by giving optometrists greater ability to detect, monitor and treat eye disease.
“I’m excited about technology that enables optometrists to manage an increasing variety of health conditions in our clinics, without the need to refer out to secondary treatment centres,” says Sheldon Butler, optometrist and owner of Rideau Optometric. “It’s more convenient for the patients, expedites care and reduces the burden on already overworked ophthalmology clinics.”
In eye care, Butler says optometrists use technology as a kickoff point, and in most cases, it is not a single piece of equipment or measurement that confirms a diagnosis. Rather, technology is merged with medical history, responses to specific questions, and measurements taken directly and indirectly with pieces of equipment. The combination is then interpreted to determine a diagnosis and/or create a treatment plan.
“The best equipment currently available in the world wouldn’t necessarily provide an accurate patient care experience without a properly trained medical professional,” says Butler. “For many types of assessments, there are multiple methods or pieces of equipment that can be used to obtain an accurate test result and examination. Having said that, advanced digital diagnostic equipment can increase confidence in a diagnosis and help to uncover health problems that wouldn’t otherwise be detected.”
In the last 10 years, Butler says two pieces of technology have become especially commonplace in optometrists’ offices. The ocular coherence tomography (OCT) machine uses visible light to take cross-section images of the retina — the layers of tissue inside the eye that absorb light so that we can see, and which transmit that information into our optic nerve, where it is carried to our brains. The OCT enables eye doctors to view the individual layers of the retina and look for anomalies, dramatically increasing the ability to detect and diagnose abnormalities within the tissue.
“Think of it like being able to look at slices of a cake from the side, without having to touch the cake or damage it in any way,” says Butler of the technology’s capability.
The ultra-widefield retinal camera, meanwhile, allows optometrists to see the majority of the inside of the eye in a single high-resolution image. This is extremely useful in the detection of eye health problems, and it is a very effective tool for eye doctors to help patients ensure that their eyes stay healthy.
In addition to these two technologies, Butler’s three clinics also feature a wide range of other equipment. For example, the All-in-One AutoRefractor, Keratometer and Non-Contact Tonometer is used to quickly estimate a person’s refractive error. This, along with a phoroptor, are two pieces of screening equipment most patients encounter during eye exams. Other technologies, such as the Optomoa Daytona Retinal Exam, meanwhile, can even detect signs of disease such as diabetes, glaucoma, macular degeneration and cancer.
“The phoroptor is the piece of equipment in most optometry clinics that looks like a giant set of goggles, and while using it optometrists will ask a patient, ‘Which is clearer, one or two?’ ” explains Butler.
With technology’s important role in eye care, Butler says he takes a balanced approach when, every nine to 24 months, he adds new equipment to his practice. The frequency of new additions, he says, varies based on factors such as advances in existing technology, developments of new types of diagnostic or therapeutic technology and wearing out of existing technology.
“First and foremost, I want any new equipment to improve the quality of the exam for the patient,” he says. “It needs to provide improved diagnostic capability, improve the patient experience or streamline the process. The secondary considerations are does it improve the day to day lives of the doctors and staff ?”
With advances in ophthalmic technology currently enabling optometrists to directly visualize the blood vessels within the eye, Butler anticipates that optometry will soon be in a unique position to be able to detect systemic health problems much earlier than they may otherwise be detected.
“Technology is coming out that can potentially enable, for example, the early prediction of diabetes, potentially years before it will show up on any blood or laboratory test,” he says. “This is just one example of how technology will be able to enable patients to make changes to their lifestyle and delay or even prevent the development of such diseases.”
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THIS STORY WAS CREATED BY CONTENT WORKS, POSTMEDIA’S COMMERCIAL CONTENT DIVISION, ON BEHALF OF RIDEAU OPTOMETRIC.