I have been very pleased to offer advanced technology such as the Pentacam to my patients. Since the development of the Pentacam, Ophthalmologists have had access to an exceedingly useful and accurate means of measuring corneal power, especially when it comes to cataract and refractive surgery. The Pentacam provides pinpoint measurements of both the front and back surfaces of the cornea. Utilizing a rotational device, the imager calculates 50 readings of the meridional sections through the cornea.
For both technicians and patients, the Pentacam is simple to use, and provides accurate data on a cornea’s thickness, its depth, curvature and elevation of both the front and the back. It accounts for the eyelid, which can compromise images gathered from topographers and keratometers, because it allows for realignment. A patient’s eye movement – voluntary or involuntary – can severely hamper the findings in those traditional testing methods. By allowing for the eye’s realignment, the Pentacam takes eye movement out of the imaging during an examination.
The Pentacam gathers it’s images on axis, allowing for a direct measurement of the cornea’s power and sidestepping some problems plaguing other testing. Unlike topographers and keratometers which measure the off center areas of the cornea, the Pentacam measures the central cornea. Its readings also measure scattered light, which allows us to gather the precise density of the crystalline lens. It allows for measurements of true elevation elevation of the cornea and provides sophisticated statistical analysis of the cornea to better guide me in deciding whom to offer refractive surgery. The Pentacam and its method of information gathering have been shown toreduce the instances of post-Lasik keratectasia due to its unmatched ability to detect early and subclinical keratoconus.
