Ophthalmology Diagnosis and Tests

Ophthalmology focuses on vision and eye health, offering diagnosis and treatment for cataracts, glaucoma, retinal diseases, and refractive vision problems.

In ophthalmology, diagnosis is not just about reading letters on a wall. The human eye is a biological masterpiece of optics, and treating it requires engineering-level precision. At Liv Hospital, we believe that 90% of a successful surgery happens before you ever enter the operating room.

Our "High-Tech Vision Lab" is equipped with the latest diagnostic devices from global leaders like Zeiss, Oculus, and Alcon. We do not just measure your prescription; we map the entire landscape of your eye—from the curvature of the cornea to the thickness of the retina—down to the micrometer. For our international patients, this comprehensive evaluation is the "Green Light" that determines whether you are a safe candidate for iLASIK, SMILE, or Smart Lens implantation.

A standard eye exam at an optician checks your visual acuity. A medical eye exam at Liv Hospital checks the biological health of the entire visual system.

Retinal diseases often hide beneath the surface. OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) uses light waves instead of sound waves to take cross-section images of the retina.

What does it show?

• Macular Layers: It allows us to see the individual layers of the macula (the center of vision). We can detect fluid swelling (macular edema) or tiny holes before they cause blindness.
• Optic Nerve Head: It measures the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer. Thinning here is the earliest sign of glaucoma, often appearing years before peripheral vision is lost.
• Angio-OCT: A newer feature that allows us to see the blood flow in the retina without injecting any dye.

This test maps your peripheral (side) vision. It is subjective, meaning it requires your input.

How it works: You look into a white bowl-shaped device. Small lights flash at different intensities in your side vision. You press a button every time you see a light.

• The Result: A "map" of your vision. Black spots on the map indicate areas where the optic nerve is not sending signals to the brain. This is the definitive test for diagnosing and monitoring Glaucoma.

For patients with diabetes or vascular eye diseases, seeing the blood vessels is crucial.

The Procedure:

1. A vegetable-based yellow dye (fluorescein) is injected into a vein in your arm.
2. It travels to your eye in seconds.
3. A special camera with blue light takes rapid-sequence photos as the dye fills the retinal blood vessels.

What it reveals: Leaking vessels (in diabetic retinopathy), blockages (occlusions), and abnormal new vessel growth (neovascularization) that needs laser treatment.

For our guests traveling from abroad, time is limited. We have streamlined the diagnostic process into a "Same-Day Pre-Op Protocol":

1. Morning Arrival: You undergo the full battery of tests (Pentacam, OCT, Biometry) immediately.
2. Dilated Exam: We use drops to widen your pupils. This allows the doctor to see the retina fully but will make your near vision blurry for 4–6 hours.
3. Surgical Planning: The surgeon reviews all 3D maps on a large screen with you, explaining why you are (or are not) a candidate for a specific procedure.
4. Customization: If you are approved for iLASIK or Smart Lens, the data is digitally transferred directly to the laser or surgical guidance system, eliminating human data-entry errors.