eye ' s vasculature . Stobie said once they validate the OCT angiography scans and make it clear what eyecare professionals need to look for and where to look , its usage could see more mainstream usage .
“ So going into 2017 , that will be for lack of a better word , a distraction , because it ' s very cool and very exciting , but really it ' s not going to be something to change what people do in practice right now ,” he says . “ But I can see it as something that can be incorporated into offices in the coming years .”
Stobie says the OCT also allows a lot of insight into glaucoma and macular degeneration , which gives eyecare professionals a lot better idea of what ' s actually happening within the eye and a better diagnostic ability . In terms of macular degeneration ' s two types – the most prevalent dry versus the more sight-threatening wet macular degeneration , “ the OCT allows more insight into when it ' s becoming wet and so that you can identify that and send the patient to a specialist to get it dealt with .”
Stobie also mentions a new technology called autofluorescence imaging , which looks at the health of the eye . While the OCT method shows the structural changes in the eye , autofluorescence
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imaging takes a picture of a level of a chemical called lipofuscin , a metabolic byproduct that is always present within the retina .
“ But when the retina becomes sick , or stressed , it can accumulate because the retina is unable to keep up with managing the level of it ,” Stobie says . The image shows ' hot spots ' of where lipofuscin is accumulating more than normal , “ so you can identify where there ' s a problem before it presents itself as a change that you ' d see with the OCT . We have a lot of people who are very interested in that .”
Stobie said there ' s also increased interest and awareness of dry eyes and how they impact vision and a number of other aspects of the eyes .
“ In the past , similar to macular degeneration , it ' s not something that an awful lot of things could be done about ,” Stobie says . “ Now there are more treatment options . But in some cases , when your eye becomes really dry it initiates a tear response , so it ' s tough to explain to patients that they have dry eye when their eyes are all teary .”
So once eyecare professionals are able to use the technology to take an image of what ' s causing dry eye , document it for the patient and demonstrate it to them and the things that can help alleviate it , autofluorescence imaging will have a regular role to play .
“ I think that ' s going to be another important change we see going forward .”
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