More Must-Have Tools
At the end of the 1990s, new methods of viewing the retinal layers were introduced. Scanning laser ophthalmoscopes and optical coherence tomography emerged as the tools to add to your practice. The technology allows diagnosis and management of most retinal conditions, and it is difficult to imagine managing any type of retinal disorder without this instrumentation. Expanded hardware and software for the analysis of retinal layers and the anterior segment have again favored optometric management through improved technology.
Vascular flow assessment, using a multispectral imaging system, is now being used in the management of retinal (vascular) disease. Choroidal melanin, choroidal hemoglobin, macular pigment, retinal pigment epithelium melanin, and retinal hemoglobin can each be discriminated in multispectral images. Although still in its infancy for clinical use, this technology is exciting. It provides yet another noninvasive diagnostic and management tool for optometric use.
The early adoption of technology and quick conversion into clinical care to enhance patient outcomes makes the outlook for greater knowledge and performance in optometry quite bright.