S C A N S III - M A C U L A R H O L E
BELOW ARE TWO OCT SCANS OF A MACULAR HOLE.
A MACULAR HOLE IS TYPICALLY CAUSED BY A PATHOLOGICAL THINNING OR SHRINKING OF THE VITREOUS WITHIN THE EYE. VITREOUS IS THE JELLY-LIKE SUBSTANCE THAT FILLS THE EYE AND IS ATTACHED TO THE RETINA. AS THE VITREOUS 'SHRINKS' IT PULLS AT THE RETINA AND THE MACULA. THIS TRACTION CAUSES THE MACULAR HOLE AND THE OVERALL RESULT IS DISTORTION IN OR COMPLETE LOSS OF FINE DETAILED VISION.

THE TREATMENT FOR THIS CONDITION IS A SURGICAL PROCEDURE KNOWN AS A VITRECTOMY. BASICALLY, THE VITREOUS IS REMOVED FROM THE EYE AND REPLACED WTIH A SALINE SOLUTION. THEN A TINY BIT OF THE REMAINING MACULAR TISSUE IS 'PEELED' TO PROMPT HEALING IN THAT AREA. FINALLY, THE EYE IS FILLED WITH A GAS BUBBLE THAT HOLDS THE TISSUE IN PLACE UNTIL IT IS COMPLETELY HEALED. THE GAS BUBBLE EVENTUALLY DISSIPATES AND THE EYE REFILLS WITH ITS OWN FLUID ONCE MORE. POST OPERATION RECOVERY CAN BE VERY CHALLENGING, HOWEVER, AS THE PATIENT WILL NEED TO POSITION THEIR HEAD 'FACE-DOWN' CONTINUOUSLY FOR SEVERAL DAYS FOLLOWING THE SURGERY.

SCANS - II
O P T I C A L . C O H E R E N C E . T O M O G R A P H Y
PROVIDES ANOTHER WAY OF "LOOKING" AT THE RETINA. THE STRATUS OCT SENDS BEAMS OF LIGHT INTO OUR PATIENTS' EYES AND THEN READS THE REFLECTIONS SENT BACK FROM THE DIFFERENT LAYERS OF THE RETINA. IT THEN INTERPRETS THOSE REFLECTIONS AND CREATES A VIRTUAL CROSS-SECTION OF THE RETINA. BELOW ARE TWO SCANS OF THE SAME EYE. THE FIRST IS A HORIZONTAL SCAN OF THE MACULA AND THE SECOND IS A VERTICAL SCAN. BOTH SCANS SHOW A 'PUCKERING' OF THE MACULA DUE TO CELLOPHANE RETINOPAHTY. WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO TELL THE TRUE EXTENT OF THIS CONDITION WITH A TYPICAL FUNDUS PHOTO.

HORTIZONAL

VERTICAL

WE TYPICALLY PERFORM SCANS OF EITHER THE MACULA OR THE NERVE FIBER LAYER AROUND THE OPTIC DISC. I HOPE TO SHOW OTHER PATHOLOGIES I AM SEEING WITH THE OCT SCANS IN FUTURE POSTS.