Digital Retinal Imaging is Superior

We have utilized digital retinal imaging at Dr. Steven Lutz and Associates, in Ann Arbor Michigan, for about six years. This technology makes viewing the central retina of the eye with high resolution a breeze. Digital retinal imaging is far superior to standard ophthalmoscopy examination technique when evaluating the central retina.

My retinal camera is the Zeiss Visucam. The superb German optics in this unit produces the finest retinal images available anywhere. When evaluating the retinal images in the exam room we utilize high resolution LCD flat screens. The doctor can show the patients their retina on the screen, and can better explain any areas of concern. The imaging system has a zoom feature, allowing the doctor to highly magnify any central retinal area he or she wishes to evaluate more closely. This zoom feature is a key advantage of digital systems over manual ophthalmoscopy.

Age – related macular degeneration (AMD) is a main cause of vision loss in older adults. The earliest signs of AMD are subtle pigmentary changes (and subtle white drusen in the central retina macula). I have found that these subtle pigmentary changes are much easier to see with digital imaging versus standard exam techniques.

Glaucoma - More Than Just Eye Pressure

During a comprehensive eye examination, it is customary to measure eye pressure. This pressure is called intra-ocular pressure (I.O.P.). Many patients dread the air- puff tonometry test, and refer to it as a “glaucoma test”. This is technically not correct, since eye pressure is only one component of a glaucoma diagnosis. In fact, it is possible for a patient to have normal eye pressure, but still have glaucoma. Glaucoma is the (usually) slow death of the optic nerve fiber layer (N.F.L.) usually, but not always, caused by high pressure.

In glaucoma, as the nerve layer slowly dies, it becomes thinner. A scanning laser, such as the Zeiss GDX or the Zeiss OCT, can measure this N.F.L. thickness. These lasers also compare patient results to a data base of people with the patient’s same age and race. These units also perform statistical analysis, showing the doctor how significant a particular deviation in N.F.L. thickness is from a normative data base.

At Dr. Steven Lutz and Associates, we measure eye pressure with both air-puff tonometry and Goldmann aplanation tonometry. We also utilize a Zeiss GDX scanning laser to better help us diagnose and treat glaucoma.