Heidelberg Engineering brought its Spectralis and Anterion imaging platforms to 100% Optical (23-25 April), showcasing the image-building capabilities of the devices.
The company highlighted its Spectralis multimodal imaging platform for the posterior segment.
Emily Malbon, head of UK marketing and education, provided OT a demonstration of the device, discussing the technologies utilised to help eye care professionals capture high-quality images.
The Spectralis device uses live confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy along with simultaneous optical coherence tomography (OCT), allowing eye care professionals to pinpoint areas of pathology in real time. Using infrared light means eye care professionals can capture images through media opacities.
Malbon shared: “That’s really nice in a High Street optometry practice, because you don’t necessarily have to dilate the patient.”
Active Eye Tracking technology enables clinicians to capture a high quality image, building an average from up to 100 frames. Malbon explained: “This means we’re going to get more clinical confidence because we can see the retinal layers really clearly.”
Clinicians are able to set an image as a reference which is particularly beneficial for monitoring progression, Malbon shared: “When the patient visits for the second, third, or fourth time, we’re able to re-scan back in the same location, to within one to two microns for retina scans.
“That means we can detect change over time, and we’ve got clinical confidence that we’re looking at real change as opposed to variability in the scans between visits caused by device tolerance,” she added.
The company also discussed its recently-launched Spectralis SHIFT technology, which allows clinicians to increase and decrease the A-scan rate in the system. This can be used for imaging in more challenging patients, such as those with cataract, or for capturing OCT-angiography.
Discussing demand for OCT following the pandemic, Malbon told OT: “Post COVID-19 what we have seen is a lot of diagnostic hubs appearing.”
The company has been involved in setting up diagnostic hubs for hospital eye services, which Malbon suggests, “is to deal with the COVID-19 backlog in ophthalmology.”
“Typically these are one-way systems that the patients come in to get all their diagnostic tests done, kind of like a virtual clinic, and then the clinicians will review it at a later date,” Malbon continued. “It’s a very efficient way of moving through patients and getting their diagnostic scans done.”
Comments (0)
You must be logged in to join the discussion. Log in