New 3-D retina imaging equipment improves care

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Brigitte N. Brantley-Sisk
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  Without healthy eyeballs, laboratory technicians wouldn't be able to precisely draw blood and pilots wouldn't be able to fly planes.

The 23rd Aerospace Medicine Squadron optometry flight at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., recently conducted training with a new piece of equipment that helps diagnose ocular diseases and announce Airmen as ready for duty.

The high-definition optical coherence tomography (HD-OCT) machine allows for optometrists to clearly see the retina. While the optometry flight didn't have the older version, they did have a similar machine used to diagnose diseases within the cornea.

"The HD-OCT machine lets technicians clearly see what is going on behind and beneath the eye so a proper diagnosis can be made," said Kevin Ott, a representative from manufacturer Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc. "Although the machine mainly operates similar to the older version, there are many new features.

"The way it functions can be best compared to an ultrasound," Mr. Ott said. "But instead of using sound, the machine uses light to provide an accurate image."
Features of the newer version include the automatic selection of the clearest images and determination of which eye is being scanned, allow the optometrists to be even more proficient in patient care.

"Having this machine provides two benefits to patients," said Tech. Sgt. Kristina Singley, 23rd AMDS optometry flight noncommissioned officer in charge. "It prevents us from having to give them a referral to see a provider downtown, and it also means one less appointment they have to go to.

"Fewer appointments can lead to a quicker diagnosis, which can be especially important for patients with diabetes," Sergeant Singley said.

Though the flight rarely sees patients with diabetes, they strive to provide an overall positive medical experience for all patients.

"We aim to provide quality eye care for everyone who comes through our doors," said Capt. Michael Tommolino, the flight's commander. "The most common situations we deal with are routine eye exams, but we also see a lot of infections caused by contact lens misuse.

"To help decrease the amount of infections and problems overall, we also aim to educate the base populace on protecting their vision," Captain Tommolino said. "I find everything in my job very rewarding, especially helping the patients enhance their vision as much as possible."

The current focus of the 23rd AMDS optometry flight is to help Airmen protect their vision by publicizing the availability of gas mask inserts for the new M-50 Joint Service General Purpose Masks.