Our Eye Lab

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging that uses light waves to take cross-section pictures of your retina, the light-sensitive tissue lining the back of the eye.

The OCT allows each of the retina’s distinctive layers can be seen, allowing our Optometrist to map and measure their thickness. These measurements are essential for the early detection, diagnosis and treatment guidance for retinal diseases and conditions, more specifically age-related macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease and Glaucoma among others.

Modern upto date OCTs do not require your pupils to be dilated, rarely if your pupils are very very small this will be required. To gather this images you will be seated in front of the OCT instrument and will rest your chin and head on a support to keep it motionless. The equipment will then scan your eye without touching it. Each image and we take two per eye takes about 5 seconds.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is useful in diagnosing and monitoring progression of many eye conditions, including:
• Macular hole;
• Macular pucker;
• Macular oedema;
• Age-related macular degeneration;
• Central serous retinopathy;
• Diabetic retinopathy;
• Preretinal membranes.

In addition, OCT is often used to evaluate disorders of the optic nerve. The optic nerve is made up of many nerve fibers and sends signals from your retina to your brain, where these signals are interpreted as the images you see. The OCT exam is helpful in determining changes to the fibers of the optic nerve, such as those caused by glaucoma, but also related to damage of the nerves from behind the eye such as high blood pressure and even as far as brain tumours.

Blepharitis is a chronic, inflammatory disease of the eyelids caused by an overgrowth of normal bacteria living along the lid and the base of the eyelashes. Anyone can get Blepharitis at any age, but the prevalence increases with age, since as we get older, we make fewer natural antibodies in our tears.

This overgrowth of bacteria produces a biofilm that traps scurf and debris along the eyelashes and harbours bacterial exotoxins along the lid margin. These exotoxins penetrate the eyelid tissue causing low-grade inflammation which adversely affects the tear glands, turning down tear production. Fewer tears containing fewer antibodies allow even more bacteria accumulate and a vicious cycle is established, leading to chronic irritation and dry eye.

Since the eyelids are difficult to clean, this overgrowth of bacteria, biofilm, scurf and debris can accumulate over many years, and the exotoxin-induced inflammation can cause significant damage to the eyelid and tear glands.

Now, thanks to BlephEx®, your eye doctor can precisely and safely, clean and exfoliate your eyelids and lashes, which should almost immediately improve your symptoms. More importantly, by completely removing the exotoxin-laden biofilm along the lid margin, your doctor helps you avoid long-term inflammatory damage to your tear glands, helping treat or prevent chronic dry eye syndrome.

Carefully crafted over the last 10 years, Alex has created a custom level of eye examination which is now The Eye Place standard. Taking place in The Eye Place's Eye Lab, experience either the Advanced or opt for the Comprehensive Eye Examination.  The Comprehensive Exam harnesses the full power of specialist eye health technology, analysed by our highly experienced and knowledgeable Optometrists, making it one of the the most comprehensive eye examinations in the world

Optomap - Daytona
High performance technology is standard on our Advanced Eye Examinations. We have invested in state of the art equipment including the Optomap to ensure the pinnacle of modern eye care is reached. This technology is so advanced it’s not even in most hospitals. Optomap is a digital retinal scanner which takes and stores images of the up to 85% of the retina, not to be confused with digital cameras that take a much smaller image . The Optomap is a comfortable, painless, non-invasive process taking a fraction of a second to produce a scan of the inside of the eye. Read more here

OCT
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging scan that uses light waves to take cross-section images of your retina, the light-sensitive tissue lining the inside of the eye. This is part of our Comprehensive Eye Examination and gives us a very high resolution image of the macula tissues and the optic nerve.

The Refraction
Nidek Phorophter
This replaces the old fashioned primitive lens holder that hurts your nose and holds the dusty finger printed lenses. It is a computerised piece of equipment the allows our Optometrists to very accurately adjust and fine tune your spectacle prescription.

Nidek Tonoref
This is the starting point of your eye examination, it a computerised instrument that measures your full spectacles prescription. It does this without any interaction from youth the patient, the exact measurement is adjusted an adapted to produce your final spectacle prescription with the Optometrist and our Phoropters. The “tono” part of the name means Tonometer, this measures your inter-ocular pressures (IOP). Your IOP, if raised, can cause Glaucoma.

Visual Field Analyser
A visual field examination measures and records your peripheral vision. This has a direct link with the structures within your brain and can help diagnose diagnose conditions form from high blood pressure to brain tumours. With your head in a static position, lights are flashed on and off and you are required to react by pressing a button when the light is seen.

The OCULUS ImageCam®
This is a sophisticated digital camera that is attached to the slit lamp. It allows the Optometrist to record images of the anterior eye and to discuss issues such as cataract to Blepharitis in more detail. Recording this data is invaluable for comparison at future appointments. 

MPOD
The MPOD was the world's first fully portable macula pigment screener. It is a remarkably simple to use device that allows optometrists to detect low levels of macula pigment, which may lead to potential vision loss caused by ARMD. This is now not routinely offered to our patients, but is available on request.

Eyegienist ™ service
Unique new service created by The Eye Place, the Eyegienist ™ is all about monitoring and managing progress of anterior eye conditions from Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD) to Blepharitis. Form a clients perspective dry, irritated, allergic, red or watery eyes.

BlephEx®
BlephEx® removes scurf, biofilm and bacterial exotoxins, the main causes of inflammatory lid disease, thereby improving the health of the eyelid. We recommend and advise this for all our MGD and Blepharitis suffers. It is a new innovative technology that cleans and maintains a healthy eye lid. It is a recommended to be repeated every 3-12 months depending on the severity of MGD and Blepharitis.