WesternU tests state-of-the-art tomography equipment

Western University of Health Sciences is one of six institutions testing two Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) devices.

WesternU’s College of Optometry is creating a normative database for a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved study of two OCT devices, Topcon OCT-1 Maestro and 3D OCT-200 Optical Coherence Tomography. Topcon Corporation is a Tokyo, Japan-based company divided into three business domains: Smart Infrastructure, Positioning and Eye Care.

The study is being led at WesternU by College of Optometry Associate Professor Pinakin Gunvant Davey OD, PhD, FAAO.

“These devices are very state-of-the-art,” Davey said. “Current machines have to do three scans for what this device is capable of doing in one scan. It evaluates the nerve, retina, and takes a fundus photograph of the posterior retina in true color in one shot”

Study subjects, who must be 18 or older without eye disease, will undergo an eye examination and they will be scanned at least nine times on the 3D OCT-1 Maestro and at least six times on the 3D OCT-2000. The study will be conducted in WesternU’s Patient Care Center, 795 E. Second St., Pomona, Calif.

“The more broad the database can be, the better the outcome of the study results,” Davey said.

Topcon is proud to work with WesternU for FDA approval of its newest OCT imaging device, said Michael J. Sinai, PhD, Senior Manager, Global Product Planning, Topcon Corporation Eye Care Company.

“This new device is the latest in OCT technology and will improve the capability of clinicians to detect and monitor eye diseases,” he said. “WesternU was chosen along with five other prestigious institutions because of its positive track record to produce high-quality research. In particular, Dr. Pinakin Davey has been instrumental in the success of our study. His hard work and dedication have made WesternU a great institution for collaboration between industry and academia. Topcon would like to thank WesternU and Dr. Davey for the success of this important study.”