Keeping an Eye on Vision Health
Canon leverages the same innovative digital imaging technology found in its cameras in its eye-care systems, helping doctors make early diagnoses and offer the best patient care.
May is Vision Health Month.
A familiar saying tells us eyes are the windows to the soul. They are also the windows to the body—your eyes reveal clues to your health beyond your field of vision. “Non-mydriatic retinal imaging can detect hypertension, blocked veins and arteries, advanced stages of zika virus, and ocular tumours in children (retinoblastoma) and adults (choroidal melanoma). We can also [use it to] detect certain sexually transmitted infections and even predict Alzheimer’s disease,” says Dr. Ben Szirth, a medical consultant for Canon Canada. Szirth is the director of the Applied Vision Research Laboratory at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and the program director of the Ophthalmic Telemedicine Program for the State of New Jersey.
Half of all individuals with a vision-threatening disease are unaware that anything may be wrong. “Age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma are defined as part of the main causes of blindness,” says Szirth. There is no pain or discomfort involved until the later stages of the disease, when vision can become compromised. “Yearly eye screenings play an important role in the early management of these ocular conditions.”
Healthcare has always been a part of Canon’s DNA. Takeshi Mitarai, a medical doctor by training, cofounded the company in 1933. His goal was to develop and produce the world’s best camera. Canon is now widely recognized as a leader in digital imaging technology. Most people associate that with cameras, lenses and copiers. However, the company leverages that same digital imaging technology in its medical systems, including its retinal photography solutions. Here are four Canon eye-care systems you may see at your next optometrist appointment.
Retinal Camera
A retinal camera captures a high-resolution digital image of the back of your eye. The image helps doctors identify vision-threatening diseases such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. You stare straight into the camera and focus on a fixation point. You will see a brief flash with each image capture.
Tonometer
A tonometer measures the pressure inside your eyes. The test screens for glaucoma, an eye disease that can cause blindness by damaging the nerve in the back of the eye. A cool puff of air is blown into each eye, one at a time, flattening the cornea. Your intraocular pressure (IOP) is determined by the change in the light reflected off the cornea as it’s indented by the puff of air.
Auto-refractor (keratometer)
An auto-refractor measures the radius and curvature of the cornea. Once your optometrist determines the shape of your eye and knows where your cornea focuses on an image, they can prescribe the best vision-correction solution. An auto-refractor can also establish whether an astigmatism—a condition that causes blurred vision—is the result of an irregularity in the cornea’s curvature. The detailed images provided by the equipment can also help identify cataracts, vitreous opacity, scars and other serious eye problems.
OCT
An OCT (optical coherence tomography) ophthalmoscope uses lasers to penetrate the layers of the retina. With this acute look at the inside of your eye, a doctor can further diagnose vision-threatening diseases such as glaucoma as well as obtain a clear look at the vascular structure of the eye to accurately assess any pathologies encountered.