Vision Care offers new service

Vision Care Associates can now offer patients a new service for their eye care needs.

Dr. Kendra Ott said they installed an optomap as part of a comprehensive eye exam. According to optomap, the optomap is a 200 degree digital image of the retina.

The new machine was installed in June. Ott said using the machine is quick and easy. Patients sit on a stool and put their eye up to the opening and press their eye into the machine until they see the blue bullseye turn to green. If it turns to red, they are too close. Once it settles on green, the doctor presses a button and a bright light shines on the eye and takes a picture.

Once the picture is taken, Ott can examine the picture to see the optic nerve, macula and blood vessels. She said it is a great way to monitor things like blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol and cardiovascular disease.

“We’re watching for things like bleeding in the retina or blockages in those vessels from plaque, or if the vessels get really narrow,” she said.

The optomap works like a camera, however, Ott noted that it does not necessarily replace dilation. Dilation helps the optometrist view the pupil better.

“We like to still dilate your eyes, but if we can get a good view with the photo we may not have to,” she said.

Once the picture is taken with the optomap, Ott will look at the picture on a computer where she can analyze the parts of the eye and blood vessels.

According to optomap, “The optomap non-invasively captures an instantaneous, ultra-widefield digital image of the retina, revealing important information for the comprehensive evaluation of systemic and ocular health. The image, which is captured in a quarter of a second, enhances clinical care, patient satisfaction and practice efficiency.”

Ott said anyone, no matter the age or vision, can use the machine.

“It’s relatively inexpensive. It’s $29 for the image, but a great piece of diagnostic information, you really can’t put a price on that,” she said. “It’s actually very helpful. It’s so nice to keep that on file so we can look back in years to come to see if anything has changed. We like to do it yearly.”