Optical coherence tomography tools and training

Hands-on OCT

Zeiss will host a one-day continuing professional development (CPD) course: Optimising OCT outcomes: from acquisition to advanced analysis.

The event, on 3 December, will feature a programme of interactive lectures and hands-on workshops led by Zeiss clinical trainers and application specialists.

Taking place at Zeiss Vision Care in Birmingham, places cost £175 +VAT per person and include lunch, refreshments, and a certificate of attendance for CPD hours.

Those interested can register details online.

Enhanced functionality

BIB Ophthalmic Instruments has shared that the functionality of the Optopol Revo FC OCT Biometry module will be increased to support the management and monitoring of young highly myopic patients.

Using reference data based on the NICER study, optometrists will be able to compare the spherical equivalent to refraction and axial length of patients throughout childhood and adolescence.

A new ultra-widefield add-on lens has been developed for the Revo FC to extend the scan angle to approximately 100 degrees in a single examination. This will provide a wider view of the retina, giving more information and revealing peripheral retinal changes.

Monitoring wet AMD

Heidelberg Engineering highlighted its partnership with RetinSight through the Heidelberg Appway gateway.

RetinSight provides an artificial intelligence-based solutions to analyse OCT scans to monitor and detect diseases such as geographic atrophy and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The MDR-approved and CE Marked Fluid Monitor for wet AMD cases is used in 30 clinics internationally.

Used in conjunction with Heyex 2 and the Heidelberg AppWay, the AI tool produces a report to visualise where the fluid is and measures the volume. The one-page Fluid Monitor Report indicates the treatment pathway and is objective and repeatable.

Christopher Mody, clinical director for Heidelberg Engineering, said: “Using automated analysis of OCT images to map and track AMD is now as easy as taking blood pressure – and just as important.”

Visualising changes with AI tools can aid patient compliance, Mody added, and provide a history of the biomarkers of intra-retinal fluid, sub-retinal fluid and retinal pigment epithelium detachments.”

“High resolution imaging with AI analysis accessed through application marketplaces, like Heidelberg AppWay, has the potential to transform workflow and support the effective management of the growing number of AMD patients globally,” Mody continued.

Diabetic pathways

Sense Medical will host an educational webinar for eye care professionals focused on OCT and the diabetic eye screening pathway (DESP).

The webinar, Getting ready for the OCT pathway in DESP, will take place on 4 September at 6pm (UK), and has been made possible by Canon Medical Academy.

Sense Medical described the event as “crucial for mastering advancements in diabetic retinopathy management,” adding: “The inclusion of the OCT pathway in DESP represents a significant leap in diabetic eye care, offering more efficient and accurate screening while reducing the pressure on hospital eye services.”

On the horizon

After a successful launch in Australia, Cylite, which produces Hyperparallel OCT (HP-OCT) technology for whole eye imaging and measurements, said it aims to make its technology available in the UK in the near future.

The company has recently announced the release of an upgrade to its Focus software – its second major release since launching in 2023. The new software offers usability improvements and features including new corneal topography maps to further increase the functionality of the HP-OCT.

Cylite suggests the HP-OCY is particularly suited to the anterior segment, providing accurate and repeatable biometry data, and so is ideal for specialty contact lens treatment options.

The patented technology is insensitive to eye motion artefacts and capable of capturing a wide area of the eye for accurate volume images and repeatable elevation and curvature maps of ocular surfaces.

The imaging technology is not dependent on tear-film quality or fixation stability, and acquires a complete 3D volume from which biometric information is calculated, including axial length and lens parameters.

Volume images are also generated for the assessment of the patient’s cornea, sclera, iridocorneal angle, iris and lens. The fundus can also be scanned with the technology.

Cylite suggests the HP-OCT combines a topographer, biometer, anterior OCT, and myopia progression reporting and analysis into one instrument.