Enhance your eye exam with our latest digital technology

Upgrade your Private or NHS test for only £20 extra

When is a Digital Eye Exam advised?

Our optometrists actually advise a digital eye exam for all patients at every visit. The level of detail provided simply allows us to pick up more eye conditions, much earlier than using our standard techniques.

For these patients this service is invaluable:

Over 60’s

The ageing eye faces numerous challenges and early detection is always the best defence.

Headaches

The eyes are very closely linked to the brain so doing an advanced scan of the optic nerve head is a great idea.

Reduced Vision

A detailed scan of the “Macula” can show subtle swelling or leakage of fluids which otherwise may not be picked up.

Family History

With a family history of any eye condition we are looking to get ahead of the game with early detection ... our Digital Eye Exam enhances our chances.

What are our patients saying?

“I visited Premier Vision with floaters in my vision but after using the new scan the optician found a bleed behind my eye and referred me straight to the eye hospital. I recommended this test to all my friends now and have started sending them in!”

H. Tate - Bradford

“Using the advanced machinery my optician was able to diagnose glaucoma and refer me straight to an eye doctor. The following week I sent in my whole family to ensure they didn’t have the same condition”

L. Booth - Leeds

“I was previously checked for a problem with my Macula at St James hospital. Now Premier Vision have the same machine it means I can be monitored locally without the inconvenient hospital trips”

P. Crampton - Leeds

WHAT IS OCT?

OCT –Optical Coherence Tomography– is an advanced eye scan for people of all ages. Similar to ultrasound, OCT uses light rather than sound waves to image the different layers that make up the structures at the front and the back of your eye. The OCT machine captures both a photograph and a cross-sectional scan of the eye at the same time.

WHAT DOES OCT COST?

There is an additional charge of between £20 and £50 for OCT scans, but the benefits are obvious, with the scans giving your optometrist more information than ever before on the health of your eyes. OCT scans are included at no extra cost in our Digital Eye Exam & our Premier Plan.

A more in depth look at OCT Digital Technology

Using a Topcon state-of-the-art 3D OCT camera, your optometrist will take both a digital photograph and a three dimensional cross sectional scan of the back of your eye in one sitting. This allows both instant and early diagnosis of a number of common ocular conditions. The scan is non-invasive, painless, simple and quick. What’s more, the software can automatically detect even the most subtle changes to the retina with every eye test you have. This gives you an invaluable ongoing record of the health and condition of your eyes.

What can the scan check for?

1. Age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the UK. It causes gradual deterioration of the macula (the central portion of your retina which enables detailed vision). There are two types of AMD; dry and wet. Wet AMD causes rapid reduction in vision and must be treated in hospital very rapidly. OCT can help to identify the earliest signs of AMD, determine whether it is the dry or wet form and help monitor its progress over time.

2. Diabetes

Over 4 million people are now diagnosed with diabetes in the UK, with experts claiming that over half a million people are currently suffering from undiagnosed type 2 diabetes. Diabetic Retinopathy is one of the leading causes of blindness in people of working age within the UK. OCT examination helps enable early detection of diabetic retinopathy, allowing early referral and management which can greatly improve the success rate of treatment.

3. Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a condition which causes damage to the optic nerve – the part of the eye which connects to the brain – and causes gradual loss in peripheral vision. Recent statistics suggest that some form of glaucoma affects around two in every 100 people over the age of 40, rising to almost 1 in 10 in people over 75 years. Because the early stages of chronic glaucoma do not cause symptoms, regular eye examinations are essential to pick up glaucoma at its earliest stage so that ongoing damage can be prevented. OCT examination can measure numerous features at the back of the eye and facilitate early diagnosis of glaucoma. Furthermore, it can enable close monitoring of your eye health year-on-year, allowing identification of glaucomatous changes over time.

4. Vitreous detachments

Vitreomacular traction can be easily diagnosed through OCT providing invaluable information about the current relationship between the vitreous and the retinal surface of the eye. As people get older the vitreous jelly that takes up the space in our eyeball can change. It becomes less firm and can move away from the back of the eye towards the centre, in some cases parts do not detach and cause ‘pulling’ of the retinal surface. The danger of a vitreous detachment is that there is no pain and your eyesight will seem unchanged but the back of your eye may be being damaged.

5. Macular holes

A macular hole is a small hole in the macula – the part of the retina which is responsible for our sharp, detailed central vision. Macular holes usually form during a complicated vitreous detachment, when the vitreous pulls away from the back of the eye, causing a hole to form. Management of this condition needs to be carried out by an ophthalmologist in hospital.