Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Interpretation

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Certificate

Earn a certificate of completion
Intermediate level

Intermediate
Duration

Approximately 8 hours to complete
online

100% online
Self-paced

Self-paced
Language

English

About the course:

This course will allow you to improve your understanding of Optical Coherence Tomography of the retina. The various modules and questions throughout will cover the significance of the individual layers with and without pathology on the retinal scans on both the Topcon Triton and Heidelberg machine platforms. The course will also cover the typical changes seen with diabetes and other non- DR pathologies, including vein occlusions, wet AMD, vitreo-retinal disorders and drug toxicity. Explanation and examples of the grading of OCT scans used within the London Diabetic Eye Screening protocol are also given. Finally you will have a chance to test your knowledge at the end of the modules.

By the end of this module you will be able to:
  • Know what OCT stands for
  • Understand the principles of how OCT machines create a cross-sectional image of the retina using light waves to create an ‘optical biopsy’
  • Have a basic understanding about how machines have evolved over the years with better resolution of images (time and fourier domain through to spectral domain and ultra-high resolution spectral domain and swept source OCT)
  • Know the 2 main OCT machine types commonly used in screening (Topcon, Triton and Heidelberg OCT systems)

 

By the end of this module you will be able to:
  • Recognise the main retinal layers and what they correspond to on both the Heidelberg and Topcon Triton OCT scans
  • To understand that the brighter bands in the outer retina – correspond to the ‘Trilaminar band’ and are usually affected in wet AMD rather than in diabetes
  • To understand that the different levels of reflectivity of the layers correspond to the brighter and darker retinal bands.

 

By the end of this module you will be able to:

  • Recognise the main changes on OCT scans that occur in diabetes on both the Heidelberg and Topcon Triton OCT scans
  • To understand that the different pathologies seen from the vitreous gel (vitreous haemorrhage) through to the outer retina (laser scars).
  • To understand how the colour images correlate to what is being seen on the OCT images

 

By the end of this module you will be able to:

  • Recognise the main changes on OCT scans that occur in NON diabetes conditions on both the Heidelberg and Topcon Triton OCT scans
  • To understand that the different pathologies seen from the lens (cataract) to the vitreous gel (asteroid hyalosis and retinal detachment) through to the outer retina (age-related macular degeneration) and choroid (such as choroidal melanoma) produce different appearances on the OCT scan
  • To understand how the colour images correlate to what is being seen on the OCT images.
  • How to recognise URGENT and other Non DR pathologies that may also need referral

 

By the end of this module the learner should be able to:

  • Understand the difference between an Routine Digital Screening appointment and OCT appointment
  • Understand the importance of good communication with the patient
  • How to manage anxieties and expectations of the patient

 

By the end of the module the learner should be able to:

  • Know the definition of an adequate OCT scan and how to improve image quality
  • Understand the different types of artefacts seen and how to avoid them
  • Understand how to capture an OCT scan (Topcon Triton system)

 

By the end of the module the learner should be able to:

  • Know the Grading Criteria for the different levels of Diabetic Maculopathy
  • Know the definitions of OCT Negative, OCT borderline and OCT positive
  • Know how to recognise when to refer to HES services for diabetic maculopathy treatments

 

By the end of the module the learner should be able to:

  • To understand how we treat diabetic eye disease in the eye clinic.
  • To understand the difference between treatments for retinopathy and maculopathy.
  • To understand that some treatments can stabilise the condition and prevent progression whilst others can reverse some retinal changes but not usually in the very advanced stages.
  • Treatment of the very advanced stages is possible but often involves surgery.

About the authors:

Samantha Mann

Samantha Mann - Lead author

Consultant Ophthalmologist & Clinical Lead, South East London Diabetic Screening Programme | St Thomas’ Hospital

Samantha Mann has been a consultant ophthalmologist at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital since 2009. She previously trained as a registrar at Moorfields Eye Hospital and the Royal Free Hospital in North London following completion of an MD in the Phenotyping of Age-related Macular Degeneration whilst a clinical fellow at the Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Hospital. She is one of three medical retinal consultants leading a busy unit seeing and treating over 300 patients a week with conditions including diabetic retinopathy macular degeneration retinal vein occlusions genetic eye disease and central serous retinopathy. Over the past nine years she has developed a special interest in diabetes and diabetic eye screening at St Thomas’ and is the clinical lead for this service covering 100000 patients in the south east London region. She is constantly striving to improve the quality of the service further and has been actively involved in compiling the London OCT scanning protocol for use within diabetic eye screening surveillance pathways.

 
Jasmine Lyall

Jasmine Lyall

SELDESP - Specialist Surveillance Practitioner

I have been working in diabetic eye screening since 2014 having graduated from university. I started as a Screener/Grader in Oxford and now work as a Surveillance Practitioner for the South East London DESP. My current role concentrates on supporting the management of M1 patients in the OCT pathway and teaching current graders how to interpret OCT scans.

 

 
denise mcloughlin

Denise McLoughlin

SELDESP - Surveillance Manager & Grading Lead

I have worked in Diabetic eye screening for over 13 years in various clinical and management roles, starting off as a trainee retinal screener in 2010. I currently hold the role as the South East London Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (SELDESP) surveillance manager and the grading lead. As part of my role as surveillance manager, I am responsible for the operational management and leadership of the surveillance arm of the programme (which includes the, OCT, Slit lamp and Digital surveillance pathways); these pathways look after our lower risk, screen positive patients.

 I am also responsible for the programmes grading operations and performance and lead on the programmes clinical training and education. This ties in well with my roles as a qualified assessor and Internal quality assurer for the Health Screening Diploma.

 I’m particularly keen to build on quality improvement in eye screening to ensure that patients are receiving a safe, efficient and the best possible experience when attending their DESP appointments. I feel that good quality training, and guidance is key to learning from each other and providing safe and good quality care to the patients that attend our services.
paul hoang

Paul Hoang

Opthalmology IT Lead

Paul is currently working as a systems analyst within the ophthalmology deprtment at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ eye hospital since 2021. He has worked on projects with the imaging department, IT, Open Eyes and EPIC pathways. He previously worked as a Screening Team Leader in the South East London Diabetic Eye Screening Programme and developed skills in diabetic grading to referral outcome grading level.

 

 

Additional contributions

 

 

 

Remi Smith

Specialist Surveillance Practitioner

Nathan Hayne

SELDESP Team Leader

Jesse James Kofi

SELDESP Administrator

Course design:

Paul GIllary

Paul Gillary

Senior Learning Technologist | King's Health Partners
Cost: £500.00
Quantity: 

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