What is OCT? | Specsavers CA

OCT explained

Many common eye diseases don’t cause symptoms until they have progressed quite significantly, which means that your eye health may be changing without you experiencing any kind of difference in your vision.

That’s why we add an advanced 3D eye scan (OCT) to every eye exam to make sure changes to your eye health are spotted as early as possible.

OCT scans work by taking a series of scans of the back of the eye that form a detailed 3D image of important structures in your eye, such as the optic nerve, retina and macula. These 3D scans help optometrists to spot any abnormalities and identify eye diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic eye disease, in their earliest stages.

These detailed 3D scans are also a useful tool in closely monitoring your eye health over time. This is particularly important if you have risk factors for eye conditions, or a history of eye disease in your family.

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An OCT scan is very quick, completely painless and non-invasive. It’s one of the tests a clinical assistant will carry out before you go in to see your optometrist and takes less than a minute.

The results will then get sent through to your optometrist who will review them, then they’ll talk you through what they can see during your appointment. It’s a really great way for you to get a better understanding of your eye health. After that, your scans will be saved onto your record so we can compare them with any new scans you get over time.

An OCT scan shows detailed images of the layers and structures within the eye and is particularly useful for spotting potentially sight-threatening conditions that form at the very back of the eye. These include conditions like age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma, as well as many other causes of vision and eye health issues.