3 Reasons Retinal Imaging Is An important Part Of Your Eye Exam

05 Mar.,2024

 

The world we live in is full of screens, bright lights, glares, reflections, and, unfortunately, not many breaks for our eyes. In recent years, some eye conditions have become increasingly common due to the extended time spent on computers, tablets, and TV screens for both work and entertainment purposes.

Now it has become more necessary than ever before to take proper care of your eyes from a trusted Optometry team. With the added stresses of our technologically advanced world, protecting your vision through proper eye exams, including retinal scans, is a must.

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Your Family’s Calgary Retinal imaging Specialists

Many would agree that having a yearly adult eye exam is an excellent way to protect the health of your eyes. The same goes for your children, who are glued to social media, smartphones, and online schooling all day. 

A thorough eye examination consists of multiple tests, some of which mandatory and others optional. One test that should not be overlooked though is retinal imaging. This important scan is a quick, non-invasive procedure that uses laser imaging to determine the health of your retinas. It is a low-risk and extremely safe procedure for people of all ages.

3 Reasons To Get Retinal Imaging On Your Eyes

Eye exams for children, adults, and seniors are an important part of protecting your overall health. Including retinal imaging may help your Calgary optometrist detect a problem before it has the chance to progress. Retinal imaging should not take the place of a complete eye examination but should be included as an extra layer of protection.

Retinal Imaging Allows For Earlier Detection Of Eye Conditions.

More often than not, most eye conditions begin to manifest within the retina. As with any type of disease, finding it early on can leave you more time to accurately diagnose, treat symptoms, and slow its progression down. Including retinal imaging in your comprehensive exam will give your eyecare professional the best chance of catching your condition early on. Some of the eye diseases your retinal images can help your doctor see are macular degeneration, detached retinas, and glaucoma.

Retinal Images Provide Your Healthcare Team With Historical Evidence.

One of the biggest benefits of retinal imaging is that it provides vision professionals the ability to  compare scans from year to year. This gives your optometrist the opportunity to look for small changes that could warrant their attention down the road.
A Retinal Exam Will Protect Many Aspects Of Your Health In Addition To Your Eyes. Did you know that there are other types of disease and health concerns that can be detected through an abnormal scan of your retina? Certain types of cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes can all be diagnosed through a retinal scan; so not only are you protecting your ocular health, you are keeping tabs on your overall health as well.

How Retinal Imaging Works

There are a few ways your optometrist can get a clear picture of your retina. While the typical eye exam includes dilating drops and a physical look into your eyes, adding a laser scan into your eyecare routine will allow for an extra-thorough look into your eye health. Here are some of the ways to do it:

  • Camera: A digital camera magnifies the back of your eye and produces a high-resolution picture of the retina.
  • Optos Ultra-wide field imaging: Optos UWF produces a 200-degree image of the retina without the use of any special dilating eye drops.
  • Centervue's Eidon: This scan produces a small-width, high-resolution image of your retina. Multiple of these images can be put together for an excellent comprehensive view of the retina.
  • Angiogram: Dye is injected into your arm, flowing through your body until it reaches the blood vessels in your eye. The dye dilates the blood vessels in your eye, giving your optometrist an excellent view of the retina.

Taking care of your vision has never been easier with the team at Market Mall Optometry. We provide excellent eye care service to Calgarians of all ages. Reach out today to learn more about our comprehensive eye exams with retinal imaging.

 

FAQs

Q: How to prepare for an eye exam including retinal scan?
A: Be sure to let your doctor know if you have any health conditions or medications that may cause you to be at a higher risk during your exam. Be sure to ask if you will be receiving pupil dilation drops because you may need a ride home after the exam due to a very temporary blurred vision.

Q: What does a retinal scan feel like?
A: The low-invasive retinal scans cause minimal side effects and create little to no discomfort for patients. If you receive the pupil dilation drops, you may have a temporary sensitivity to light and/or blurred vision. This typically goes away within 24 hours.

Q: What are some of the things a retinal scan can detect?
A: Retinal imaging can see abnormalities within the eye such as:

  • Cysts
  • Leaking fluid
  • Bleeding
  • Abnormal blood vessels
  • Thinning retinal nerve fibres
  • Pigmentation changes
  • Detached retinas

Many of these abnormalities signify a bigger health concern that needs to be addressed immediately.

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