Retinal Scanning is Changing Healthcare
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- Опубліковано 12 тра 2024
- Your optometrist can tell you if you're at risk for cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's, or diabetes. And it's all thanks to James Bond-style retinal scanners.
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My optometrist caught my buddy’s leukemia during an eye exam. They caught it fairly early, probably saved his life.
Atta doctor! 👍
That’s so crazy because my optometrist caught my leukemia during an exam too!
How do they catch that? How could she tell?
I'm so glad this is the world we live in
@@ansnfbsknanssshshbsnsndnd5438 Well, I asked our AI overlords and expected a single answer but found that they can diagnose it SIX different ways:
1. Retinal Hemorrhages: Leukemia can cause bleeding in the retina, which may be visible during a dilated eye exam. The ophthalmologist might notice small, pinpoint hemorrhages or larger areas of bleeding.
2. Roth Spots: These are retinal hemorrhages with white centers and can be indicative of leukemia. They are caused by microinfarctions and are a sign of systemic illness.
3. Pale Optic Disc: An optic disc that appears unusually pale can be a sign of anemia, which is a common symptom in leukemia patients due to the disruption of normal blood cell production.
4. Infiltration: Leukemic cells can infiltrate the tissues of the eye, leading to visible changes such as swelling or lesions in the retina, choroid, or optic nerve.
5. Uveitis: Inflammation of the uvea (middle layer of the eye) can sometimes occur in leukemia patients and can be detected during an eye examination.
6. Visual Symptoms: Patients with leukemia may report visual disturbances, such as blurred vision or floaters, which can prompt further investigation by the eye doctor.
Next big conspiracy gonna be " They shined a laser in my eyes and now I'm diabetic "
"Vaccines gave me cataracts" vibes. Just remember this terrifying statistic, 49% of the population is above (mean) average intelligence and 49% of the population is *below* average intelligence.
😂😂😂
Wait! Don't forget to add that the light was (only) "harmful" blue light xD
Don't forget they're installing cameras so they can see what you see.
Please dont give the algorithm ideas.
My mother works at a glasses shop. While she's not an optometrist herself, they do have an optometry service in the shop. One day a client went to get his eyes checked, and after sending the images to the laboratory, he browsed for glasses for a few minutes and left. Just after he was out the door, they got a call. Paraphrasing: "Is the client out yet? This is urgent, if you can still get to him, tell him he's having a heart attack and he needs to get himself to a hospital immediately, or call an ambulance."
They did reach him, and he was surprised, but he did get to a hospital on time. A few days later he went by the shop to thank them, because thanks to the early warning he was at the hospital when the worst of it happened, instead of in the middle of nowhere driving, and he probably lived thanks to that call.
[edit: typo]
Wow! Good catch, lab people.
Whoa!
@@joanhoffman3702gotta love lab careers man
Daanngg how serendipitous 😮
That's absolutely insane. A freaking retinal scan saving you from a heart attack. If he went at a different time of day or even just a day earlier they may not have caught that. The timing of that scan saved his life just as much as the scan itself. Just... brain breaking.
Almost 3x as many people see an optometrist than see a primary care physician. Moving useful diagnostics to places where more people can benefit is a net positive for everyone's health prospects.
I "see" your point.
@@terrafirma5327 I see what you did there.
Crazy. I’ve never been to one.
@@BeaChapmanI think it's because if you have glasses/contacts, you're more likely to go in to update your prescription
This is clearly speaking to Americans only. You must have tons of optomologists over there
I’m an optician and we’ve had patients come in seemingly fine and then referred out for emergency procedures due to the retinal screening machines. A lot of these patients had retinal tears, macular issues, or cancers that wouldn’t have been noticed UNLESS they got the photos done because dilating can only give the doctor so much of a view to the eye. Soooo next time you go take the photos if you’re able to.
So a great basic for preventative medicine. At least in those places where that doesn't cost a rent payment.
What do I ask for in an optometrist? As in how am I to know if an optometrist has the most up to date equipment to diagnose or see what is important? What do I search for or ask upon calling for an appointment? Names or equipment or Brands of machines? Thanks in advance if you can answer these questions.
@@spideywhiplash the imaging described is called a ultra-wield field imaging. These particular images are from the Optos or Optomap. Just look at the website of your local clinics.
@@spideywhiplash call optometrist offices and the machine is called an optos/optomap. The reason why you go to optometrists as well is because, particularly for glasses prescriptions/contact lens prescriptions there is more focused care to basic eye care needs. Ophthalmologists are really good for surgeries or serious eye conditions.
@@spideywhiplash optometrists are also tend to be very knowledgeable about ophthalmologists in the area and can target referrals for patient specific needs if issues appear that they can’t address or treat in office. Of course, that being said, not all optometrist offices are the same. Always read reviews, if you can scope out the office and get a chance to talk to the staff. The best places generally give good vibes and have knowledgeable staff (though I feel like that could be said about a lot of places that are great lol)
I was the System Engineer for the Zeiss Clarus 500 retina (fundus) camera. It is an interesting engineering challenge to get enough light INTO the eye through the pupil to illuminate the retina, and not have that light screw up the light reflected off the retina. It is the reflected light that generates the image. That reflected light has to come OUT of the eye through the same pupil. The second tricky bit is trying to see a full hemisphere inside the eye when your only way in is through the fairly small pupil.
I have a question. My daughter had this done because she has long Covid and POTS. COVID attacks nerves and somehow affects the blood vessels that supply them. Some of the blood vessels in her eye had deteriorated. So her scan is beautiful and I want to print it as a form of art. My question is, how do we see the lashes in the image?
As an MD, I thank you so much for engineering design. The tech we have now is largely thanks to you.
Transitional images, taking many images with gradually changing filters to highlight any usually difficult to discern structures?
Thank you for your work!!!!
@@wewemcrhyne The eyelashes? That's not what the fundus camera is taking a pic of.
I’m an Optician. It happens more often than you’d think that somebody comes in and refuses to pay the $39 for the imaging, but I manage to convince them and we end up finding something. I once had a “healthy” patient come in that I convinced to get the imagining. Turned out he is diabetic. He didn’t know cause he hadn’t seen a primary care doctor in 6 years, yet we saw the beginnings of diabetic retinopathy.
Yeah happens all the time. We’ve had a few patients like that as well.
Why is it an extra charge? Why don’t you include the cost in your patient visit? At my optometrist it’s $18. Which is almost nothing, but when something is an extra charge, people don’t want to pay for it. I was a stagehand before Covid and people not wanting to pay extra for things is a problem in every industry. They don’t mind paying for things, they just don’t want it billed as additional. If it was included, they wouldn’t even question the charge, but once you make it optional, they refuse.
Seems criminal it isn't covered by insurance as both much better for the the patient and potentially life saving preventative care. My eye care place also charges $39 which became $49 with my job's insurance getting worse and adding a $10 copay for vision care beyond the standard screening.
@@raecoffeyThe eye dr sent me immediately to the hospital! It turns out that I have a harmless genetic abnormality not usually seen in the UK. Lots of students examined eyes. When the ophthalmologist asked me about my evening plans, I came out to him because I was going to a bisexual pride event. Funny and true.
@@MichaelsPwner Greedy insurances that refuse to pay is why. They'll pay for dilation, which is nowhere near as effective, and refuse to pay for retinal imaging.
Fun fact, everything, other than just getting an Rx for glasses, is an extra charge. It just depends on if insurance wants to pay for it or not. All insurance companies have pretty much agreed to not pay for retinal imaging unless the place you get your ins through pays for it. So far, only place I know of that pays for retinal imaging is Home Depot.
This is another reason that it is ridiculous that US healthcare insurance doesn't have to cover optometry!!!!!!!
US healthcare is a form of eugenics. Only the elite richest ten percent can really afford whole body healthcare. Because they'll pay cash. The insurance companies are the "death panels."
My eye care technically doesn't cover this procedure anyways.... I still had to pay a little out of pocket to have it done.
Almost every job I had offered eye exam and glasses coverage. There was a small copay, and the glasses covered had to be safety glasses.
Of course it makes sense. It's just not built for us.
The whole system in the us is ridiculous. In Brazil it's all free, for EVERYONE and ANYONE
My third ventricular brain tumour was diagnosed with an eye check.
The optican saw there was lots of pressure on my nerves and told me to go to the hospital.
A day later, at the hospital, I got the diagnosis of brain tumour.
Half a year later, and after quite a few surgeries, I got the clear and the name of the tumour (Benign Eptheliod haemangioendothelioma)
The surgeons can't remove the tumour due to being deep inside my brain, but I get regular checks
glad to hear it turned out ok for you. This is a topic close to my heart too.
We all got too exspire sometime. No one get's out alive. Just live your life.
We just need insurance companies to cover this. My eye doctor has one of these machines, but I have to pay extra out of pocket to not have my eyes dilated. I would love it if more people have access to these technologies, having a record of eye health is extremely important.
It's a basic check that was always covered by the insurance provided by my old employers who offered insurance.
@@jamesfowley4114 my insurance has always refused to cover this procedure, and has always made me pay out of pocket. Maybe your insurance is different, but there's at least a significant part of the population who insurance won't cover the procedure for. Basically, US health insurance sucks.
At first I had to pay out of pocket the first time. But it showed a freckle in my eye & then it was covered.
I also have to get images done every 6 months because I'm on hydroxychlorican.
Finding this out I think it should be covered & routine for everyone.
Especially since it sounds like it would actually save insurance companies money.
If you can afford it it's definitely well worth it.
Check your insurance & see if the optometrist can somehow get it covered under something.
The frustrating thing is, yeah the insurance company would be paying more up front, but it's a real "ounce of prevention / pound of cure" situation. If it were my company, I'd rather shell out for 30 fancy photographs over 30 years than for some complicated, terrible heart or eye surgery for a late stage condition.
Getting Optomap is an extra $50-$60 for me and isn't covered. I'm fortunate I can afford it without having to sweat but it's absurd that eye and teeth are just the "luxury" bits of our bodies. Didn't realize functioning eyes weren't considered important
My father went to see his optician about 25 years ago. He was told, " Go and see your doctor, NOW! ". He was then diagnosed with type II diabetes. He's in his eighties now and still going strong. Probably wouldn't be the case if it hadn't been caught.
I was diagnosed with high blood pressure in much the same way.
Husband and I get tested by the optometrist yearly. We always get the retinal scan as we both have diabetes. This optometrist has been seeing us for 20 years and knows his stuff: he correctly diagnosed me with recurrent corneal erosion (look it up you don't want it) and husband gets checked for evidence of macular degeneration since his mother has that condition. It's amazing what an eye doctor can find and what conditions can be monitored by a retinal scan. It's worth it, folks. Even if your pathetic medical insurance company won't cover it. I think I paid $49.00 for each of us last time.
Is that an insult against the readers or a badly worded insult against the insurance companies?
@@mishXY the insurance companies. Not covering a KNOWN great bit of preventive medicine costs THEM more in the long run. As in, the insurance company YOU (in general) are covered under through your employer or a government agency.
@@mishXYI don't understand how it could possibly be insulting the reader. Pathetic is modifying "medical insurance company" not the "your" which precedes it. 'Cus that's how adjectives work.
@@petuniasevan fair enough 😁 My best friend, who is US American, always tells me how crap they are. I have met him travelling in South America, because he got Malaria, and I gave him a bunch of the medication, which I got for free (a six months supply) in Germany but would’ve cost hundreds if not thousands for him.
@@BryanLu0 yeah but if I said “your pathetic car/house/job”, it’d still be insulting the reader not the object as an isolate. Having heard people talk like that irl, I wouldn’t have been surprised if it was talking down to the reader. But the person was not, and all is fine. 😊
Im a T1 diabetic and its because of retinal scanning that they finally find the cause of my blind spots. They aren't due to diabetic retinopathy, but were caused by an occular stroke i had which flew under the radar. Im so grateful about how far we've come, especially with T1 diabetic care. Now, if only it were made accessible for every single American.
D- An almost good story. Had a good start, a good middle, glad it helped, but the ending fell extremely flat. If only it had been help "every single person on earth" not "every American".
@@igrim4777 Grading someone on their commentary is trashy.
@@igrim4777 "On Earth" is a bit limiting to. People in space. Potentially people in the rest of the universe as well. If you're going to limit to "what's practical", then saying "every American" is as reasonable as "everyone on earth"
For every human would be even better
My optometrist said I have beautiful retinas and I’ve never been so flattered. 😊
Fascinating how what's been conceived for spy tech in films is now contributing greatly to health sciences. The possibilities that emerge from broadening the visibility of the retina to detect diseases early sound promising. It's encouraging to see how this technology is evolving and potentially impacting our overall health.
This is eerily timely for me - I had my first optometrist exam the other day and the office used this Nikon retinal imaging machine and I got to see my own optic nerve for the first time.
So what I'm hearing is yet more reasons for eye care to be a part of standard health insurance. In this incredibly visual world and society we live in, it is still both baffling and infuriating that eye care is so hard to get coverage for.
The opthalmologist is covered under health insurance, not the optometrist. Somehow they decided that eyeballs should be treated like body parts needing medical care, but vision is optional.
My optometrist urgently said I needed to get an MRI done because I had extreme amounts of pressure behind my eyes. Turns out I have a brain tumor that was causing encephalitis in my brain, which was good to know
Are you good my friend?
Poor Savannah. They have to read the script, yet also apologize for tortured puns! 😭
Scriptwriter: how many James Bond puns are we putting in?
Yes...
5:24 😂 Ultimerz
She knows exactly what she’s doing and I bet she’s in on it too.
She*
@@tonysirmixalot3546 they're nonbinary.
Savannah's evident recognition of how forced the James Bond puns are makes them enjoyable.
Delivery is everything.
The commitment to deliver balanced the line with the complete awareness of how bad some were was amazing.
Haha! "Live and let eye" (whispers sorry). So funny!
My first optometrist had the machine that takes pictures of the retina. It is so nice, because while it also requires drops put in the eye, those drops don't dilate the eye, just make them sticky so you can't blink as fast, and go away in a couple of hours at most. My doctor also will show me my pics and explain what he's looking for and seeing, which is nice, especially since my family has a history of diabetes.
My mother's optician discovered that she'd had a minor stroke. It didn't prevent her major stroke later on, but her doctor and the hospital were able to diagnose it quicker.
I'm going to have a diabetic eye test tomorrow. I get one every year. Between the last one and tomorrow, I had a typical eye test (because Mum had glaucoma, my sisters and I are given a free eye test every year), and the optician discovered the beginnings of cataracts. I've got about 4 years before I lose my sight, but because it's been discovered, I'll be on the operation list sooner rather than later.
I have a lot of time for opticians. They know more about our general health than most people would ever imagine.
The first time I had one of these done ~4 years ago, they discovered my retinas detaching and I was able to get them repaired
Not an optometrist, but a MD student working at an eye hospital/clinic. Retinal imaging is at least half of what I find myself doing on a daily basis - the tech is incredible & always improving little by little! We love our retinal scanners (and our patients find them pretty "sci-fi" too!) Super psyched to see it represented in a SciShow video!
My dad is an optometrist, and he was one of the early adopters of this technology. Cool to see it make it into a SciShow video!
I always get a retinal scan, and one I got 2 years ago showed new hemorrhages that were not there before. They told me to check in with my primary care and I did. Found out my blood pressure crept WAY up as a side effect of a medication. I then stopped the meds and it normalized.
I just love not having to get my eyes dilated. Also, no Goldeneye pun?
altontacoma: Can I have a Goldeneye pun?
Dr: No
Something something golden eye-portunity?
Learning about how retinal scanning might improve society's health overall gave me ... a Small Measurable Amount of Solace
👁👓 A couple of years ago while getting a routine eye exam for a new set of glasses, the optometrist said I should have my cholesterol checked by my doctor. This surprised me. I didn't know such a thing could be determined via an eye exam 🤔
🌌🔭
My eye doctor does a retinal scan every visit, and it's really cool to look at the pictures.
As a doctor's assistant who works at an eye doctor's office, I agreed to and was super happy about everything that was said. Keep it up.
Thank you for explaining this so well ! FINALLY, I can understand [ see ] that the procedure isn't just another way to separate you from your money with an add-on of no real value. SEE, even an old man can learn a new concept.
I had a partial ocular occlusion (basically a micro stroke) in my eye almost 5 years ago from hypertensive retinopathy due to medication I have to take for my narcolepsy. Luckily, because I recognized the issue almost immediately and went to my eye doctor within an hour or so,; I have finally recovered almost all vision in that eye though it has taken almost 5 years of monthly injections to the eye, 4 laser treatments on my retina, and using one of those machines to scan and see my retina every time I went in. It has been a pain, but I finally have vision almost equal to before my incident with that eye. Considering how bad my vision was 5 years ago, I am very glad my doctor was able to help and get my vision back to normal.
OMG, injections IN THE EYE? I can barely type because I'm shuddering so hard right now.
@@dionh70 Yeah, they are not fun. No matter who you are, I hope that is something you never have to go through. But still better than not being able to see out of one of your eyes imo. If you ever have issues with your vision, all I can say is go see your eye doctor ASAP. Eyes are one of the most important parts of the body. Take care of them.
Oh no, second camera for puns. This is getting out of control. 😂
Lmao I know right? Who was behind these changes?! It's great I really like it
WHY is it not paid for as preventative medicine or dental too for that matter?
My mom's diabetes was caught by her eye doctor, and that was back in the '80s (and I'm so glad she had a good eye doctor!). And a friend found out about a neurological disorder from the eye doctor. Ever since then I've always encouraged all my friends to get regular eye exams even if they have good vision. There are so many reasons to track eye health, and they've made such strides in imaging since then. I loved seeing the picture of my eye! haha.
My eyes rolled 200 degrees at those puns. 🙄
I've worked alongside these cameras and they are really impressive and neat. We've actually had these devices around for quite some time. I've sat in on a few lectures from our doctors and it's been enlightening how they are able to recognize certain health issues through examining the eyes.
I'm thankful for this technology. I went to the optometrist last year after about 15 years from my last visit and they had this technology. They asked if I wanted this done; it wasn't covered by my insurance, but it was only $45, so I agreed. My optometrist found a small defect in my left eye and referred me to a retinal specialist immediately to make sure that it wasn't anything serious. The specialist found a hole in my retina that could have increased in size and possibly cost me the vision in my left eye. I had laser surgery on that eye and now see him every six months to monitor that area. Hopefully, fingers crossed that it doesn't get any worse
the shirt + background combo is loud af and i love it ❤️
I think it's the worst thing that SciShow has done to date. It's almost enough to make me stop watching episodes, and the presenter's personality makes that likelihood even higher.
Usually I'm not a huge fan of the puns in this show but these were on point! You can't beat James Bond puns!
Many years ago an optometrist diagnosed a friend's high cholesterol
Cholesterol build-up in the veins of the eye?
@@terrafirma5327 I can't remember exactly what he said but I think it was colouration
My optometrist has had one of these cameras for as long as I can remember. I’ve always felt better knowing they can track ocular changes over time and the at they can pick up on other problems beyond the eyes. They take the photos every time I have an exam but I have to pay extra to have them reviewed by the doctor, and I’m happy to do so. My kids go there for exams now and even though they don’t have vision problems yet they have their retinas photographed for posterity.
Now I Know. Your well timed, smoothly delivered movie referenced puns landed perfectly. Thank-you. Cheers.
Thought the title said "Rectal" Scanning... 🥵
Wishful thinking maybe
In my experience it's not so much a scan as a Cold Finger.
@@clintonreddekop9229 Yeah while both the doctor's hands are on your shoulders. 😫
Only over the age of 45.
corp get your eyes tested
I am VERY thankful for my diligent Optometrist and this Retinal Scanning Technology, for without them I would not be seeing today due to Retinal Tears that they caught in good time!
20 years ago an eye doctor (who was fresh out of college) flat out told me i don't have high blood pressure or diabeates after an excam. i thought 'yeah sure, and you can see that'. apparently they really can 😂
This was a real golden eye video.
My opticians got one of these machines a year or two ago. I've got one image on record now (healthy, thankfully), that can be used again in future for comparing any potential changes. The optician talked me through what the image showed and what they could tell from that. It was really cool. My mum got the same scan and they picked up early signs of diabeties. Early diagnosis has allowed her to change her diet and reduce her blood sugar levels.
Only downside in the UK is it's not part of the standard NHS eye test, it's an optional extra that costs £25, which could be a barrier to some people, especially when glasses (specifically the lens) themselves can be expesnsive - that additional cost will definitely put some people off.
Good to see the impact of the Bond movies remains strong among younger Americans - delivered with British wit, charm and style - 'On Her or His Majesty's Service' 🇬🇧
You can tell that Savanah waited their whole life to say “eye another day” and I love that for them
My mom is a clinical studies researcher. They are studying/studied glaucoma and macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy. My mom works at Moran! Cool to see her work out there!
We can scan the optic nerve directly as well. It’s a more objective measure of glaucoma progression and diagnosis. It can also pick up on other diseases like optic disk atrophy, which is like glaucoma except it doesn’t fit with the other factors associated with glaucoma.
Can it see into the past? Cause I was a pretty naughty teen in the backseat of my 60 chevy with a girl or two. Okay, it was a junky old stationwagon and more girl's than I'd care too memorilize.
You are so entertaining and make it so much fun to learn about scientific information. Thanks!
My eye doctor uses these machines. The annoying thing I have with them, is that my insurance doesn't cover the screenings with the machines. I think it's important, so I have a flex spending account that I use to cover the cost, but American insurance companies really suck and make us all at more risk than we need to be.
What really sucks is that eye car isn't part of normal health insurance. But further to that point, most eye insurance doesn't cover this particular procedure so you have to pay out of pocket for it (at least partially).
What is stop them, it proving it can it can catch diseases faster then doctor looking at you.
I love the more comfy studio wibes! Feels better than monotone greenscreen
The puuuuuuuunnnnnssss!!! Always a treat to see Savannah and lovely to see them having fun with the new set and camera placement!
YASSSS 😂 they have such great comic timing with the 'aside' camera (and the puns lolol)
Retinal scan saved my vision a few years ago. Confirmed I had an infection that could have blinded me if I waited much longer to go to the ophthalmologist
This is one of my favorite presenters. Shes intelligent, explains things that beginners can understand and is engaged! I love all of her work here and I'm glad she works for SciShow.
Savannah actually uses they/them pronouns. I just happened to click the description this video and this is stated there. Glad it was there so I know!
Why aren’t these part of our wellness check ups? Great information. Thank you!
Been having this done yearly for several years now. Been very helpful
I have a rare form of intracranial hypertension, and they do retinal scans on me every year as another way of checking what is going on with my brain.
It also doesn't involve 45min of a needle in my spine so I'm down. Now if only it was better covered under healthcare...but I have a brain disorder, and I can go on about U.S. medical coverage allllll day.
As every other american citizen can. Healthcare should NEVER be a for-profit enterprise. There's nothing wrong with paying doctors and nurses large salaries because of the rigors of their profession, but there's everything wrong with profiting off of the misery and illness of human beings.
I got this done recently, while getting glasses. They showed me the photos and gave me a healthy rating. Glad I authorized it.
I have a personal experience with this tech. I was born colorblind, a rare form which leaves me the ability to only see primary colors. At age thirteen my eye doctor looking through an otoscope diagnosed me with macular degeneration. Based on the light my retinas reflect. However a few years ago I had my current eye doctor, who took over the other's practice after his passing, gave me one of these fancy scans.
Turns out my eyes lack so many rods and cones that it's truly a wonder I don't see black and white. It was quite a learning experience because we found out the Mac degen was a misdiagnosis. Not the original eye doctor's fault. He called it like he saw it. The scan helped me to acquire SSA disability, which is fine because I have other conditions like bilateral pendular nystagmus making me undraftable and my vision is only correctible to 20/200. Can't drive. I'm ok with it though. I would have liked to serve. And I have mad trouble identifying secondary colors, browns, pinks, and such but I've read more books on color and know more about classification systems than most.
Before computers for instance we had colors narrowed down to 255. VGA monitors in the 80's bumped that up to 2.5 million and now 4K/Hd screen tech puts the number beyond billions. So many they couldn't possibly be named. They require numerical designations based on how much the red, green, and blue light is used. It's all really interesting.
Thanks for the info, 00-bond-eye...had to get my own groaner in there...smiles
About 3 years ago my optometrist caught the beginning stages of a retinal detachment thanks to doing a retinal scan. I was able to quickly see an ophthalmologist and have laser eye surgery to seal off the "bubble". After finding another one in my other eye and having the surgery again, I've been perfectly fine ever since!
The same optometrist also figured out that I had an autoimmune disease, Sjogren's Syndrome, thanks to my severely dry eyes. Very thankful for all you optometrists out there!
This is excellent! This is why I see an ophthalmologist regularly, not just an optometrist - at least in Canada, it is the largely the doctors who have retinal scan access/expertise. I do have very early stages of eye diseases, and comparative photos are great. Having an eye doc experienced in interpreting images means she is picking up on subtle things that I certainly can't make out from background noise... It also provides incentive to follow good eye nutrition, etc. And you've given me excellent additional info on other things I can ask about when we look at my scans... both diabetes and strokes are a personal concern too!
My eye doctor has always been super proactive on making sure my overall health is good, even saying that he’s move up my appointments if/when I get my EDS diagnosis because of the way the syndrome can presents in the eyes.
But then I also have super weird blood vessels in my eyes so maybe I’m secretly being put into a textbook.
I'm glad to see this technology becoming more widespread and available! It's not just ... (wait for it) For Your Eyes Only!
I have had my retina scanned for years now. Since I can't keep my eyes open for drops this has been great for me.
Years ago my optometrist told me to go to my GP to get my blood pressure checked as there was a burst blood vessel in my eye (something like that anyways). Luckily it was only stress related high blood pressure and getting more exercise and taking more holidays seemed to do the trick. But it’s good that they’re there to pick that stuff up.
My Dad is being treated by his eye doctor for small pockets of fluid that accumulate within his retina which are related to diabetes. A scanning machine he sits down at is able to produce cross-sectional views of his retina like those shown at 5:11 in this video.
I find it fascinating that we have a machine you can simply look into that is able to produce cross sectional imagery like this. The geek in me would very much like to know the fundamentals of how they work.
There are different types of “retina scanners”. You’ve got the optical fundis cameras that just take a picture, but then you’ve got really fun optical CT scanners that more and more practices are using. That’s where you get to image the thickness and capillaries and so much incredible data.
You can also pre-diagnose things like MS from a visual inspection of the retina.
Those CT scanners are called "OCT" Optical Coherence Tomography and utilize infrared light, which thankfully unlike a lot of imaging does not subject you to radiation at all. Mostly used for checking the thickness of the optic nerve, due to glaucoma and other eye pressure problems as well as looking through the retina to image different layers of the retina, usually for diabetes and macular degeneration.
I've been getting a couple OCT scans a year for the past decade and even these machines have improved a lot in that time. Before these two machines I used to have to get angiography pictures taken with an IV drip for contrast in order for them to accurately see all my blood vessels etc.
That's all great. Now if Medicare would only pay for eye exams.
Sadly it a need and not want.
Bernie’s been working on this for years.
I've had this imaging of my retina done for the last ten years using the Optomap camera. It did catch Glaucoma early.
Newsflash. Insurance won't pay for it. Neither commercial or Medicare. Thankfully it's cheap enough.
The dried joke of this channel improves everyday, amusing
Well, the James Bond puns are worthy of 007 homself!
I know Savannah is enjoying the Bond puns, but they're actually hurting me. Great episode, as always folks 👍🏼😁
Thank you 🙏
My optometrist has been offering retinal scanning and photos for over a decade. It is a very helpful tool that should be made available to everyone.
I have an extremely rare autoimmune disease that was discovered by an optometrist using this machine to see that my optic nerve was inflamed badly. If it wasn't for her quick reactions it's likely that I'd be blind in one eye and possibly paralyzed. So, yeah ... good machine - I approve.
I got that done at a recent eye exam. My eye insurance didn't cover it, so it was around $100. Everything looked fine, so I don't plan to do another for 5 years. I was also able to see what the doctor was seeing, so that was really cool. She said the back of my eyes are lighter than normal, so bright lights and sun probably annoy me. She was spot on! Everyone thinks I'm dramatic for wearing my sunglasses everywhere. lol Didn't hurt, and I got to skip the air puffs into the eyeballs test!
Now at optometrist offices they'll have a big tv screen cycling through several patients retinal photos for them to buy, just like at theme parks.
I enjoy puns of all kinds, so I found this film entertaining as well as informative. Punsters of the world, throw off your shackles!
Yeah, this is standard in the UK eye appointments. And you can get the MRI looking one too - it's a separate scan but currently costs another few quid if you don't get your test on the NHS.
Type 1 diabetic here since I was 9 years old - this is amazing news!
Every 6 months I need to get another retina scan. Over the past 4 years, my eyes have gone downhill fast. Bleeds near the blind spot, hair vessels that are popping and trying to repair itself in very dysfunctional manners, scarring tissue and fluid leakages in the glass body, spots and blurs in my vision, weakening of the eye muscles, developing horrendous photophobia.. it sucks bum, to say it lightly.
BUT - knowing that the instruments and devices are changing for the better, means that treatments are also getting better! That makes me SO excited!
The earlier we can spot signs of disease, the faster we can treat it, the more treatments will develop, and the better the prognosis will be. I hope that everyone of the future generations have access to regular retina scans, to spare their health AND to ensure they keep their eyes as healthy as possible! 💜💜
Fun fact: my T1 diabetes also affected my pupil contractions, which is why I developed photophobia. My pupils are ALWAYS dilated like it's nobody's business. But a big upside of this - I don't need eye drops during scans lol! Finally a benefit from all those shitty health complications 😂
Great job Sci show! Still great after all this time!
I came for the science info.
I stayed for the wonderfully delivered, horrible puns.
Years ago I had a retinal scan that revealed several non-ocular health issues including elevated spinal fluid pressure. Wild!
My Optometrist ask me if I wanted a scan. I said "Dr, No". I'm not giving you a ... View to a Kill". Bawwwhahahahaha.. Don't get up. I'll see myself out.
Whoa no way! I published some papers on this a few years back! Retinal venular tortuosity (how twisty and tangled your retinal veins are) and retinal amyloid plaque burden (how many amyloid plaque tangles were counted per unit of area) were correlated with more severe degrees of cognitive impairment, which is super important because, as the video notes, people are far more likely to see an optometrist earlier and more frequently than they would see a cardiologist or neurologist, leading to earlier detection and intervention for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and cardiovascular disease. So cool to see a topic I've published on make it into a SciShow episode!
Been having this type of imaging done on my eyes for about 4 years now. Much easier than the old methods of the doctor peering through a lens while squishing the eye in place.
That’s a great video about the way retinal scans can help people in ways other than with their eyesight but you didn’t mention why optometrists and ophthalmologists do it.
Speaking as someone who, as a child, was talked down to and told it was too hard to explain why I have bad eyesight. And, as someone who, in my 30s, had an optomotrist photograph my retina then walk through an explanation while also showing me other people’s scans for reference, I think this kind of thing is important.
Loved the I.F. James Bond's jokes "pun intended"
Optometrist here from the UK. I think it’s great that you’re raising awareness of the importance of eye exams and the role of fundus/ retina cameras in diagnosing systemic pathology as well as ocular pathology. Unfortunately, there is poor education in the public. This can lead to patients putting off their eye tests/ exams. Good job
Harry I wear glasses and i had no idea when last week i got my eyes tested .I hadn't been to the opticians for almost 5 year and i wondered why things looked very blurry through my left eye .Turns out I have a cataract.Got to see the doc for an operation. I'll make sure to ask more questions about my health when I see the optometrist again.I heard that magnesium taurate helps with cataracts . Do you know if this is true ?
@@simonscott5104 Magnesium Taurate definitely doesn’t cure cataracts. Only surgery can remove/ treat them.
My favorite host again, I feel lucky!
i've actually been regularly getting these done whenever i get my glasses rx updated. setting up a medical history to look back and compare to is invaluable to my peace of mind/health anxiety, even if the cost does serious emotional damage too
Very interesting to learn how retinas are connected to other areas of our health. I have lifelong retina disease and it is interesting to see how this technology has evolved so that retinal cameras are now part of my regular exams, previously only in hospitals.
I reflexively roll my eyes when you guys force puns.