Optomap was developed by Douglas Anderson after his five-year-old son went blind in one eye when a retinal detachment was detected too late. Routine exams were uncomfortable, especially for a child, which made it impossible for the doctor to conduct a complete exam and view the entire retina.
Douglas set out to develop a patient-friendly retinal imaging product that encompassed a digital ultra-wide field image of the retina. Through his research and hard work, the Optomap device is now available to eye patients for early detection of eye problems, as well as other health issues.
How does the Optomap work?
Getting an Optomap image is fast, painless, and comfortable. Nothing touches your eye at any time. It is suitable for every member of the family. To have the exam, you simply look into the device one eye at a time and you will see a flash of light to let you know the image of your retina has been taken. The image capture takes less than a half-second and the digital images are available immediately for review.Â
How does it compare with traditional dilation?
Dilation allows the optometrist to look inside your eyes. Dilating drops widen the pupil (the black part of your eye) so that it doesn’t get smaller when your doctor shines a light at it. The widened pupil allows your doctor to use a magnifying lens to look inside your eye and at the back of your eye. After the drops are inserted, it takes about 15 minutes to work. Eyes may be more sensitive to light for a few hours until the dilating drops wear off.
What are the benefits of Optomap?
- The unique Optomap ultra-wide field view helps your doctor detect early signs of retinal disease more effectively and efficiently than with traditional eye exams. With an Optomap image, doctors can view over 82% of the eye while dilation only shows 15% of the interior eye.
- Optomap shows your retina, the only place in the body where blood vessels can be seen directly. This means that in addition to eye conditions, signs of other diseases such as stroke, heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes can also be seen in the retina. Early signs of these conditions can show long before you notice any changes to your vision or feel pain.Â
- Optomap can be done on patients of all ages— toddlers, kids, adults and senior citizens. It is also safe for pregnant mothers. It does not leave patients with blurry vision or light sensitivity that can last for up to 4 hours with dilation.
- Optomap images are saved to your permanent health record. This technology allows our doctors to compare past year’s photos side by side to detect any changes or abnormalities as soon as possible. These images can also easily be shared electronically with other medical professionals.
VisionFirst offers both traditional dilation as well as the Optomap technology. Having a regular eye exam is crucial in protecting your eyesight. These exams allow the detection of changes in the front of your eye so alterations can be made to your eyeglass or contact lens prescription. With Optomap, your doctor looks at the back of your eye, the retina, to check that it is healthy and does not show any signs of disease.
Schedule an appointment online for one of our 16 VisionFirst locations in Kentucky and Indiana.