February is Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Awareness Month, and at Unger Eye Care, Dr. Tom Unger is dedicated to providing the best in eye care and diagnostics. During routine exams, our wellness imaging utilizes the red and green filters of the Optomap to highlight early macular pigment changes and hemorrhages. The Optovue i-wellness scan provides cross-sectional images of the macula and a thickness reading to identify thinning or swelling.
For patients at greater risk or who exhibit signs and symptoms of macular changes, we have advanced diagnostics, such as the dark adapt technology in our Maculogix device and Heru virtual reality headset, which help identify subclinical macular degeneration. Monitoring dark adaption allows us to identify functional changes in the eye due to macular degeneration years before any structural changes can be identified by imaging and fundus views. Our Diopsys and LKC RETeval instruments use ERG technology to monitor macular function changes over time and identify dry macular degeneration patients that may be converting to wet macular degeneration.
Depending on the individual patient, Dr. Unger will provide personalized counseling on behavior modification, diet, and supplementation to help manage AMD. With today's technology and knowledge, we can detect the disease earlier, monitor for changes more effectively, and have a range of tools to manage it.