Instrumental Strategies
A True Investment
The features on this retinal thickness analyzer will give you peace of mind.
BY GREGG OSSIP, O.D.

This is my first of many articles on new technologies. My father, Dr. Kenneth Ossip, established our practice in 1952 and we've always been early embracers of technology. Dad always said it's best to reinvest in your practice. He also said to take care of your patients, and they'll take care of you.

Many of our colleagues invest in stocks and in other businesses when they'd yield a much higher return if they invested in their own practices. Talia Technology's retinal thickness analyzer (RTA) is a wise investment for your practice and will help you take better care of your patients -- especially if you detect and treat glaucoma early, monitor suspects and evaluate retinal problems.

Targeting the suspects

As we all know, glaucoma is mainly a pressure-related optic neuropathy. According to well-accepted glaucoma treatment standards of care, we should screen patients with a positive family history of glaucoma, diabetics, high myopes and those who are of African American descent. Finally, with Talia's RTA, we have technology that's easy to use, repeatable and allows us to monitor changes earlier.

What the RTA has to offer

The RTA is basically a combination of a digital fundus camera and a computerized scanning slit lamp. You or your technician can perform a full exam on one eye in 3 to 4 minutes. A 3 mm x 3 mm area is scanned in 0.3 seconds. Sixteen optical cross sections, 190 microns apart, are acquired per scan. Five scans cover a 6 mm x 6 mm area centered on the fovea. A moving dot for fixation allows you to scan other retinal areas. Complete analysis soft- ware supplies a report, history analysis, normative database and useful color maps and graphs.

Displaying the actual scans as well as raw data is useful for visualizing pathologies such as macular holes, cysts and membranes.

How it works

The RTA projects a narrow slit of green laser light on the fundus and captures its image on a digital camera. This instrument can evaluate the posterior pole, peripapillary areas and the optic disc for glaucoma, diabetic macular edema and retinal pathologies. However, you must dilate patient's eyes before using this instrument for testing.

Talia's RTA quantifies retinal tissue loss at the macula where more than half of the retinal ganglion cells are located. The RTA provides an accurate and early diagnosis of glaucoma by quantifying retinal tissue loss in this area long before detection of a defect by traditional visual fields.

Benefits to reap

Every year, more than 100,000 Americans develop glaucoma. Try the RTA to monitor change on glaucoma suspects twice a year, as well as visual fields analysis. You'll feel better knowing you're giving your patients the best care.

DR. OSSIP IS IN GROUP PRACTICE IN INDIANAPOLIS. HE'S LECTURED EXTENSIVELY AND HAS WRITTEN NUMEROUS ARTICLES ON PRACTICE MANAGEMENT. YOU CAN REACH HIM BY E-MAIL AT GOSSIP2020@AOL.COM.