Manchester Royal Eye Hospital in UK first for Canon’s Xephilio OCT-S1

Manchester Royal Eye Hospital has become the first in the UK to utilise a new ultra-widefield optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) device from Canon in a patient-facing setting.

Canon shared that, using the Xephillio OCT-S1, the hospital can perform a more immediate and non-invasive wide scan than using fluorescein angiography, improving the patient experience.

The Xephilio OCT-S1 will enable the clinic to capture widefield images up to 110 degrees by montaging multiple OCTA images together.

Tariq Aslam, professor of ophthalmology and consultant ophthalmologist, commented on the new device: “With this new equipment we can improve patient care by offering immediate scans as simple as taking a picture to look for potentially blinding disease, where we would otherwise need to book patients for invasive procedures involving intravenous needles and dyes.

“This technology will help our clinicians to make rapid diagnoses of many conditions and prevent and treat the most common forms of sight loss,” he added.

Abdul Jahangir, sales director at Sense Medical, the official distributor of Canon Eyecare in the UK and Ireland, shared: “We are delighted to offer Manchester Royal Eye Hospital access to the cutting-edge Xephilio OCT-S1 through charitable funds.”

“With its groundbreaking Swept Source technology, the device achieves scanning speeds of 100,000 A-scans per second, setting new industry standards for precision and efficiency,” Jahangir added. “It opens up a world of new possibilities, revealing a wealth of information previously unattainable with conventional OCT devices.”
  
Patients have expressed the benefit that the new equipment has brought to their experiences.

Janet Kelly, from Ashton-under-Lyne, was diagnosed with proliferative retinopathy. She had previously had an FFA scan, and found the dye made her feel sick.

“Being able to have the OCTA scan on the same day as my appointment was great as it meant not having to arrange my daughter to bring me another time. It was also much more comfortable and quicker,” she said.

John Breheny, from Wythenshawe, has type two diabetes and started losing his sight. He has also experienced an FFA scan previously and said of the new OCTA device: “If you are nervous or scared about needles, then this equipment is a godsend.”

The ultra-widefield OCT angiography machine was purchased through charitable funds provided by the Manchester Foundation Trust Charity, which supports Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust’s ten hospitals.