A popular Wishaw opticians is highlighting its new, state-of-the-art equipment ahead of this month's Eye Health Care Week.
Family-run Tuite Opticians – which will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its Caledonian Road practice next year – has recently invested in cutting-edge technology which can detect potentially dangerous eye conditions several years in advance.
Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) utilises the same non-invasive procedure used in hospitals to create a 3D image of the patient’s eye, which allows a detailed “beneath the surface” check.
Owner and Dispensing Optician, Gerry Tuite, explained: “This is an incredible piece of equipment.
”In a completely painless process, the OCT scans three main areas of the patient’s eye – macula, optic nerve, and retina. It takes hundreds of pictures in just a few seconds, creating a layered image of all the eye’s structures.
”It can identify conditions such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration up to four years earlier than a standard 2D camera.
”This allows us to forecast, manage and ultimately treat conditions before they start to affect a patient’s vision.”
Statistics show that 80 per cent of worldwide blindness is caused by these three conditions – and with 75 per cent of those cases preventable through regular eye examinations – it is obvious why Gerry and niece and practice manager, Clare Tuite, have been keen to introduce OCT to their town centre business.
Clare added: “An OCT scan during a patient’s first visit gives us a baseline and subsequent examinations can then be compared to this initial one.”
An OCT scan forms part of an advanced eye examination and is available for a nominal fee of £20.
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