Scottish shoppers did a double take this week as a pop-up art exhibition turned out to be more than meets the eye.
The images – which, from a distance, could be mistaken for abstract art – turned out to be sophisticated scans of the inside of the eye.
Specsavers unveiled the display at Princes Square in Glasgow during National Eye Health Week, to demonstrate the importance of checking your eye health and to showcase the technology that is allowsing early detection of sight-threatening conditions.
The pictures were OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) scans – advanced eye scans which can help to identify serious conditions, such as glaucoma, up to four years earlier than traditional methods.
Jennifer Stephenson, Chair of Specsavers Scotland, says: ‘We were inspired to showcase these images after a customer had his first OCT scan and made an off-the-cuff remark about it resembling an abstract artwork.
‘While it made us laugh, it also prompted us to put some images on public display to raise awareness of OCT, demonstrate the incredible technology we have at our disposal today and the ways in which it is helping us to make important diagnoses.’
OCT scans are separate to eye tests – they take just a few seconds and the 3D images produced show what’s going on beneath the surface of the eye. Opticians can examine all the layers inside the eye to get an even clearer idea of your eye health.
Each image on display in Glasgow showed a different eye condition, explained the tell-tale signs of those conditions in the scans, and gave information on symptoms and treatments.
The images were supplied by Birmingham Optical, an exclusive supplier of NIDEK OCT machines for the UK optical industry.
To find out more about OCT visit: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) Scan | Specsavers UK