Corneal topography is a special photography technique that maps the surface of the clear, front window of the eye (the cornea). With a topography scan, a doctor can find distortions in the curvature of the cornea, which is normally smooth. It also helps doctors monitor eye disease and plan for surgery.
Scarring.Trauma (injury) or infections can scar the cornea. This changes the shape of the cornea. A topography scan measures the distortion and its effect on vision.
The size of pterygia or other growths can be monitored with topography.
Topography can help find astigmatism and early cases of keratoconus and track their progression.
Topography scans help find what type of contact lens can be worn to improve vision. If the scan shows a lot of distortion, sometimes a special hard contact lens (RGP) can help correct vision.
During refractive surgery like LASIK, the shape of the cornea is changed to correct refractive errors like myopia. A topography scan helps the surgeon understand how to precisely reshape the cornea.
When cataracts make the eye’s natural lens cloudy, it is replaced with an intraocular lens (IOL) during cataract surgery. Corneal topography helps surgeons select the right IOL in some cases.
After a corneal transplant, a surgeon may use corneal topography to help a patient heal correctly. The images help assess which stitches should be removed and when based on the shape of the cornea.
Corneal cross-linking surgery helps strengthen a cornea with keratoconus. A topography scan maybe done to see if this surgery is needed. After surgery, scans are done to monitor the eye.
You will be seated facing a large bowl with lighted circles inside it. The chin and forehead rests, keep your head secure to get the clearest images.
You will be asked to stare at a fixed target in the bowl while the pictures are taken.
The scan only takes a few seconds, but it may need to be repeated a few times.
Getting a corneal topography is painless, as nothing touches your eye during the scan.
Athens EyeCare clinic has one of the most advanced cornea topographies in the world which gives reliable and accurate measurements, Pentacam HR from Oculus.