A high tech eye test that diagnoses traditional eye problems including glaucoma and cataracts is now helping doctors detect serious health issues.
3 YEARS AGO ALLIE MATEUS WENT TO THE OPTOMETRIST WITH PAIN IN HER EYES.
“Something was strange in my eye and I had never felt the pain before so I really wanted to figure out exactly what was going on.”
THE 26- YEAR OLD HAD A TEST USING A MACHINE – CALLED AN ‘OPTOMAP’ . IT ALLOWS DOCTORS TO EXAMINE THE EYES WITHOUT DIALATION WHICH LEAVES PATIENTS WITH BLURRY VISION FOR HOURS.
Optometrist Dr. Diane Song: “It’s very inconvenient for people, because we all have busy lives…”
THE MACHINE TAKES A DIGITAL, HIGH DEFINITION SCAN OF THE EYE AND OPTIC NERVE. THOSE SCANS CAN REVEAL SIGNS OF CONDITIONS LIKE CANCER AND HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE.
Dr. Song says: “We can zoom in if I see something suspicious to get a better detailed image of it.”
DOCTOR SONG SAYS THE TECHNOLOGY HAS HELPED HER DIAGNOSE ILLNESSES IN SEVERAL PATIENTS, INCLUDING A BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR.
“She actually had a metastasis of breast cancer go in to her eyes and we are able to see it on the Optomap images and were able to get her to a specialist to get that treated.”
IN ALLIE’S CASE, DOCTOR SONG FOUND OPTIC NEURITIS… WHICH CAN BE A WARNING SIGN FOR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS.
Mateus says, “It turned out after other MRI’s and other testing that I did have multiple sclerosis.”
AN EARLY DIAGNOSIS HAS HELPED HER FIGHT BACK. “The fact that I’m on medication now and able to start lessen the lesions that I’m going to have over time is so significant.”
SHE SAYS IT OTHERWISE COULD HAVE BEEN YEARS BEFORE DOCTORS DISCOVERED HER DISEASE. CHRIS MARTINEZ, CBS NEWS, SANTA CLARITA CALIFORNIA
