A Hattiesburg, Mississippi, eye doctor, Dr. David Richardson, first used Optos Optopmap retinal imaging camera last May to examine a picture of his own eye. What he saw, according to Hattiesburg American, was more than surprising.
“I told the company representative, there must be some mistake,” Richardson said. “This has to be the image of another patient — it can’t be mine.”
Jim Brennan with Optos was demonstrating the camera’s abilities at the Eye Clinic and in the process, they were able to see something within Richardson’s eye that indicated a major concern completely unrelated to his vision.
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“Viewing a patient’s retina primarily helps us diagnose vision problems, but it can also indicate problems elsewhere in the body,” Richardson said. “And that’s what I saw when I looked at the image of my eye — a possible blood vessel blockage somewhere else in my body.”
This experience motivated Brennan to encourage Richardson to undergo a cardiac CT scan, which actually revealed an occlusion of the left anterior descending artery of the heart, known commonly as the “widowmaker” artery. Within just days, because of the unexpected urgency, Richardson underwent emergency cardiac bypass surgery.
Beyond vision problems, examining the retina in a very detailed way can reveal issues involving blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. The Optomap system reportedly increases that view, allowing a physician to view up to 80 percent of the retinal surface at one time, or a 200-degree range as opposed to 30 degrees with conventional techniques.
Not only was this a totally unexpected discovery for Richardson, it also provides some additional insight into how retinal examination can be beneficial in multiple ways beyond actually vision care. Richardson credits divine intervention for the unexpected discovery.
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“I truly believe God used what happened that day to save my life,” Richardson said. “The Optos rep said he hardly ever takes the device to initial meetings with physicians, but his company sent a camera to his home two days before he left for Hattiesburg. And, the rep did not order the machine nor could he find anyone at the company who sent it. I don’t believe I’d be here today without that image.”
Photo: Flickr user Eric May
