By Dr. Ryan Nelson

Did you know that every eye is unique and could be used to identify individuals.  This uniqueness of the eye is similar to a fingerprint.  The retinal blood vessels enter the back of the eye through an opening in the optic nerve (the cord that takes visual information from the eye toward visual center in the brain).  The retinal blood vessels extend throughout the back, inside-surface of the eye in a branching tree-like pattern.  Every eye has a unique blood vessel pattern, which should stay the same throughout ones lifetime.

Your retinal blood vessels should be viewed every year by an eye doctor.  The eye doctors at Iowa EyeCare use these blood vessels as clues for diagnosing conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other whole-body diseases.  In these instances, and many others, such as retinal detachment, glaucoma and macular degeneration, the inside of the eye can change slightly in its appearance.

Iowa Boer Meat Goat

The use of retinal scans for identification is not widely practiced.  For livestock, however, these scans are commonplace.  In fact, 4-H meat goats, sheep and beef cattle are scanned when individuals intend to show them for the Linn County Fair and Iowa State Fair.  This practice ensures that the same animal being raised and shown, and that no switching of animals has occured.

Information in this article has been re-posted from The Eye Doc Blog (www.theeyedocblog.com).

Results from a pilot study conducted by doctors at the New England College of Optometry* were recently presented at Optometry’s Meeting and the American Academy of Optometry.  In the study, subjects were examined using the methods of traditional ophthalmoscopy and optomap^®assisted ophthalmoscopy, where an ultra-wide field retinal image from the  optomap^® guides the retinal examination.

Forty subjects underwent undilated imaging with the optomap^®. Subjects were then dilated and underwent traditional ophthalmoscopy and optomap^®assisted ophthalmoscopy. The traditional exam consisted of BIO and slit lamp biomicrosopy with precorneal lenses. Optomap^®assisted ophthalmoscopy was identical to traditional, with the exception that the doctor reviewed optomap^® Images before performing their BIO examination. A masked Reader graded the optomap^® Images of all subjects. A retinal specialist examined 28 of the 40 subjects and served as the gold standard.

Sensitivity and specificity of the optomap^® Image review in detecting retinal lesions were compared to sensitivity and specificity of both traditional and optomap^®assisted ophthalmoscopy. The results indicate that using optomap^® Images increases pathology detection. Sensitivity of the Reader (image review alone) outperformed traditional ophthalmoscopy by approximately 15%, while sensitivity of optomap^®assisted ophthalmoscopy outperformed traditional ophthalmoscopy by approximately 30%. Specificity was comparable across all methods.

“I believe the increased sensitivity is due to the optomap^® field of view and in part to the software capabilities. Being able to magnify and zoom-in, adjust the gamma, contrast and brightness as well as using the individual red and green laser separations allows the examiner to really hone in on areas of interest,” said Kristen Brown, OD, FAAO, the Principal Investigator.

Data from a statistically powered study is currently being analyzed, with results expected in 2010.

Schedule an appointment with one of the eye doctors at Iowa EyeCare today to have your eyes examined.

*Independent clinical study conducted by Kristen Brown, OD, FAAO 1,2, Jeanette Sewell, OD 1,2, Tom Travison, PhD3. 1New England Eye Institute, Boston, MA; 2New England College of Optometry, Boston, MA; 3New England Research Institute, Watertown, MA.

Click here to learn how the Optomap saved this young mother's life.

Ancient Egyptian eye makeup may have been more therapeutic than cosmetic.

In the days of the ancient Egyptian empire, the Nile River delta was a place where eye infections were likely commonplace, as sanitation and hygiene practices were not established. 

The periodical, Analytical Chemistry, recently published an article regarding the lead-based compounds found in the tombs of ancient Egyptians.  Their conclusion is that “lead-based compounds were used during antiquity as both pigments and medicines in the formulation of makeup materials.”

 ”According to ancient Egyptian manuscripts,” says Analytical Chemistry, ”these were essential remedies for treating eye illness and skin ailments. This conclusion seems amazing because today we focus only on the well-recognized toxicity of lead salts.”  Analytical Chemistry goes on to say that, “one may argue that these lead compounds were deliberately manufactured and used in ancient Egyptian formulations to prevent and treat eye illnesses by promoting the action of immune cells.”

In modern times, ocular infections still cause problems for millions of people each year.  If you think you might have an infection, walk like an Egyptian to Iowa EyeCare.  Iowa EyeCare has a doctor on-call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, call 319-377-2222.

Contact Iowa EyeCare in Cedar Rapids, Marion, or Robins, Iowa.