OCT Macula (optical coherence tomography)

Seeing the Centre of Your Vision in Extraordinary Detail

The macula is a tiny but extraordinarily important area at the centre of your retina. It is responsible for all your fine, detailed, and colour vision — everything you use when reading, recognising faces, watching television, or doing any close work. OCT Macula scanning produces incredibly detailed cross-sectional images of this vital area, allowing our specialists to detect changes and diagnose conditions that would be completely missed in a standard eye examination.

What Is OCT Macula?

Optical Coherence Tomography uses light waves — in the same way that ultrasound uses sound waves — to produce high-resolution cross-sectional images of the retina. The macula scan focuses specifically on the central retina, capturing the thickness, structure, and integrity of each individual layer in extraordinary detail. The resulting images look almost like a microscopic slice through the retina, showing every layer clearly and allowing specialists to identify even very subtle abnormalities that would otherwise go undetected.

What Conditions Can OCT Macula Detect?

• Macular degeneration — both dry and wet forms, including early changes
• Diabetic macular oedema — swelling at the centre of the retina from diabetes
• Macular holes — a full-thickness break in the central retina
• Epiretinal membrane — a thin layer of scar tissue growing on the retinal surface
• Central serous retinopathy — fluid accumulation beneath the central retina
• Vitreomacular traction — the vitreous gel pulling on the central retina

What Happens During the Scan?

Step 1 — Pupil Dilation (Sometimes)

Dilating drops may be used to widen the pupils for a clearer and more complete view of the macula, though many modern OCT systems can perform high-quality scans without dilation.

Step 2 — Positioning

You sit comfortably at the OCT machine and rest your chin on the support. You are asked to look at a small fixation target inside the machine and keep your eye as still as possible.

Step 3 — The Scan

The machine scans the central retina automatically in a matter of seconds, capturing hundreds of cross-sectional images that are assembled into a detailed three-dimensional map of the macular tissue.

Step 4 — Immediate Results

The images appear on the screen instantly. Your specialist reviews them immediately, identifies any abnormalities, compares them to normal values and previous scans, and discusses the findings with you clearly at the same appointment.

Is the Scan Safe and Comfortable?

Completely safe and entirely comfortable. OCT uses light — not radiation of any kind — and is completely non-invasive. The scan is painless, takes only a few minutes, and has no aftereffects. It can be repeated as frequently as needed to monitor your condition over time without any risk to your eyes.

Why Patients Trust RGC Eye Hospital

• High-resolution OCT technology for the most detailed macular imaging available
• Experienced retinal specialists who interpret every scan with clinical precision
• Scans compared over time to detect the earliest signs of change or progression
• Results explained clearly and honestly at every visit — with a plan for what comes next