| MACUSCOPE |
MACUSCOPE TEST
· This is the first test in the world designed to assess your
risk factors for developing macular degeneration in later life.
· Macular Degeneration is an eye disease and has no cure.
· The test measures your Retinal Macular Pigment levels.
· The test is painless, safe and only takes about 5 minutes.
· Should your macular pigment level be low, we would recommend
a course of dietary supplement tablets designed to increase your
retinal macular pigment levels.
· The test can be done following your sight test or you may return at
a later date to have the test done.
· We strongly recommend all patients over the age of 30 to have
the test done
( Please read below for further technical information or visit www.macuscope.com )
Visit www.sightrisk.com for further extensive information on Macular Degeneration and specifically the research being carried out in Waterford Institute of Technology WIT by Dr John Nolan and Mr Stephen Beatty. Part of this website is a risk calculator which allows Opticians to accuratly calculate your risk of developing AMD. It will advise methods of risk reduction based specifically on your questionaire. Parameters included on the questionaire (which takes only a minuite to complete) are:
Age, sex, ethnicity, Family History, diet, light exposure, supplements taken, blood pressure, cholesterol level, presence of any retinal disease, history of surgery, spectacle prescription, and of course your macular pigment level as calculated by the macuscope.
Nolke Opticians has invested in new equipment developed in the response to the increasing incidence of the eye disease known as Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD). ARMD is the greatest cause of blindness in the western world. It is caused by both genetic and environmental factors and is without cure. Many of these risk factors appear to be related directly or indirectly to oxidative damage in the retina. Low levels of lutein and zeaxanthin in the diet have been shown to be associated with an increased risk of ARMD. These are the carotenoids which comprise the macular protective pigment, they protect the macula by acting as both antioxidants and filtering out blue light. There is a growing body of evidence / research taking place here in Waterford WIT / that supplementation with macushield capsules may prove to reduce your risks of developing macular degeneration later in life.
As this research has evolved it has developed a new eye test designed to actually measure the amount of
macular pigment in a patient’s eye. The instrument known as a MACUSCOPE gives high street optometrists the ability to measure macular pigment for the first time. With this knowledge we can now inform patients of their potential risk factors of ARMD. Should the macular pigment level be low MACUSHIELD supplementation is recommended. In most cases, subjects respond, with macular protective pigment increases of up to 40% in as little as 6 months of supplementation.
· Simple test designed to measure Macular Pigment
· Non-invasive, Painless, Safe and Effective
· Takes about 5 mins. Only one eye is tested.
· The test involves viewing a flickering blue light
and judging when it stops flickering.
· Validated by researchers worldwide
· Lutein supplementation, monitored by an instrument such as
the Macuscope, could have a significant impact on the
prevalence of Macular Degeneration.