Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)

OCT is break-through technology, which will enable ophthalmologists and other neuroscientists to detect abnormalities in the retina, optic nerve and the brain. A harmless laser generates light waves of 850 nanometers, which scan the retina in thousands of bursts per second. The instrument can measure local or diffuse disease in blood vessels, one-cell tissue layers and the optic nerve. These findings may lead to the early diagnosis of such diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. The OCT also allows identification of retinal toxicity from systemic medicines and can be used to benchmark changes in diabetes, inflammation and macular degeneration.

In a word, the OCT provides more information than photography and direct observation of certain eye diseases. It is painless, rapid and soon to be available in every doctor’s office.

Now dermatologists have incorporated this into their filed.