OCT upgrade may help improve glaucoma detection

Heidelberg Engineering says the FDA approved its new upgrade for the Spectralis OCT platform, the Glaucoma Module Premium Edition, which allows better diagnostic accuracy through objective measurement parameters.

Driven by a proprietary new technology called the Anatomic Positioning system, the module creates detailed maps of each patient’s eyes using the center of the fovea and the center of Bruch’s membrane opening as orienting landmarks. All subsequent scans are automatically aligned to the unique map, allowing for comprehensive and highly precise monitoring of the optic nerve head, retinal nerve fiber layer, and ganglion cell layer over time.

The tool also compares patients’ eyes to an ethnically diverse disc size- and age-adjusted reference database and flags deviations that may be indicative of structural damage and disease progression.

The premise of the module was based on a research collaboration between the teams of Balwantray C. Chauhan, PhD, and Claude F. Burgoyne, MD.

“We have already been able to demonstrate that the use of this new measurement method translates into significantly enhanced diagnostic accuracy,” said Dr. Chauhan.

“The measurements are more accurate because they are based on an identifiable anatomical border of the rim and take into account its varying geometry at the point of measurement,” added Dr. Burgoyne.