Retinal angiography (the capture of retinal images with the injection of fluorescein or indo-cyanine green dye) is one of the most commonly performed retinal investigations to help us decide on the best therapeutic options for many retinal conditions. We have recently acquired this highly sophisticated HRA system.

The Heidelberg Spectralis HRA is the latest state-of-the-art retinal and optic nerve imaging currently available. It incorporates and integrates the high resolution spectral domain OCT with confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (cSLO). The combination of these two technologies has enabled new imaging capabilities, such as TruTrack™ active eye tracking, and BluePeak™ blue laser autofluorescence, providing clinicians with unique views of the structure and function of the eye. This new approach is called Multi-modal retinal imaging.

Enhanced anatomical details, 1 micron measurable change and automatic rescan at follow-up are the direct benefits of TruTrack™ active eye tracking and simultaneous dual-beam imaging. These two technologies are at the core of the SPECTRALIS product platform. Enhanced image detail comes from Heidelberg Noise Reduction™, which improves images like Dolby® noise reduction improves recorded sound. Measuring change with 1 micron reproducibility is possible with AutoRescan™, which automatically places follow-up scans in precisely the same location, bypassing operator variability. This precision is the product of 20 years of proven HRT technology, which paved the way for the dual-beam approach to imaging.

For our patients, HRA is a much better way of having high quality retinal angiography performed as it does not use uncomfortable bright flashes of light to capture the retinal images. It is quicker and more comfortable than traditional camera based imaging.