What is scanning laser ophthalmoscopy?
Scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO) is a diagnostic imaging technique used to explore the rear of the eye. This type of eye examination creates detailed images of structures on the back of the eye such as retina, optical nerve and blood vessels. During the scanning of laser ophthalmoscopy, the laser moves over the back of the eye and the reflected light is used to create an image. To prove the changes that happen in the eye in real time, you can use the sequence of images or scan an eye taken at different depths to create a three -dimensional image.
Due to the brightness of the laser light, the scanning laser opthalmoscopy provides brighter images of the eye than conventional photography. Laser scanning over the back of the eye in what is called a raster formula moves from left to right and gradually moves vertically to thoroughly map the area. Burring is minimized by the radiation of the reflected light through the hole. The technique is similar to the technique known as the confocal laser scanning microscopy that withused to study biological samples. The scanning laser ophthalmoscopy is slightly different because the lens of the eye replaces the lens lens that would be located inside the microscope.
Doctors can use scanning laser ophthalmoscopy to display the anatomy of the rear of the eye so that you can detect areas of fine damage. Early signs of diseases such as glaucoma may represent a condition where high pressure inside the eye damages the optical nerve and causes vision loss. If it is diagnosed early, treatment can prevent progression and save the remaining vision of a person.
Scanning laser ophthalmoscopy is sometimes used in combination with two diagnostic eye procedures known as Indocorated green (ICG) and fluoroscein angiography. These tests include injection of dyes into the bloodstream. Fluorescein dye of glow in response to a light visible spectrum, while ICG shines in infrared light.
both fluorescein and ICG dyes are carried in the blood vessels in the back of the eye. Using scanning laser ophthalmoscopy, you can observe and measure the time required for dyes that could travel a specific distance through the blood vessels of the eye. This allows doctors to assess the flow of blood in the retina and tissue of the choroids under it, helping them to diagnose eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy or macular degeneration. In diabetic retinopathy, damaged blood vessels may be necessary in the eyes of patients with diabetes and laser surgery. Macular degeneration, which is associated with aging, includes a loss of detailed vision and there is no effective treatment of the most common forms of this disease.