Macular oedema
The retina in the centre is thicker, with dark pockets of fluid inside. It happens with diabetes. Lines of text blur, colours fade. OCT shows whether the swelling goes down after treatment.
Eye injectionsRetina · macula · optic nerve · no contact
Eye OCT in Astana: optical coherence tomography
A layer-by-layer scan of the retina in seconds — like having a photo taken. The doctor sees disease before you notice it.
- 5.0 on Yandex Maps
- price for both eyes
- the device never touches your eye
What the doctor looks for on the scan
The dip in the centre — the macula: your sharpest vision is here
Normal — even layers and a dip in the centre. Swelling — the retina is thicker, with fluid inside. Hole — a full-thickness tear in the centre. Glaucoma — a thin nerve fibre layer and a wide cup in the optic disc. AMD — fluid and a dome under the retina.
Normal: even layers and a dip in the centre. The doctor compares your scan with this one — and every new scan with the last.
A diagram, not your scan: this is how a cross-section looks on the scanner’s screen.
10,000 ₸for both eyes · back: macula and optic nerve
With glaucoma, both OCT scans are already part of the Glaucoma package — 40,000 ₸ per visit, together with eye pressure, visual field and the doctor. Compare
5.0 on Yandex Maps · 176 ratings
10,000 ₸ for both eyes: back or front OCT
18,000 ₸ for both eyes: both sections in one go
40,000 ₸ per visit: Glaucoma package, both OCT scans included
1 building: scan, doctor and treatment at 12 Orynbor St
70,560+ eye and eyelid surgeries performed at the clinic
Why this scan
What an eye OCT shows and what the doctor looks for
A regular exam sees the retina from above. Optical coherence tomography shows it in cross-section — like a slice of cake where every layer is visible. It’s often called an “optical ultrasound”: a beam of light instead of sound. Swelling, a tear or a thinning nerve change the thickness of the layers by fractions of a millimetre, and the doctor spots it before you notice your vision getting worse.
Macular hole
A full-thickness tear right in the centre of the retina: letters in the middle of a line vanish or stretch. It’s closed with surgery, and OCT afterwards shows whether it has closed.
Retinal surgeryGlaucoma
The nerve fibre layer is thinner and the cup in the optic disc is wider. OCT catches this thinning before a person notices the edges of their vision have gone.
Glaucoma treatmentWet AMD
Fluid and a dome under the retina, straight lines look wavy, a spot in the centre. It’s treated with injections, and OCT shows whether they’re working.
Retina treatmentOCT is a test, not a diagnosis. An ophthalmologist will tell you what each line on it means. If everything is fine, we’ll say so: there’s nothing to treat.
Test prices
How much an eye OCT costs in Astana
The price covers both eyes, not each one. Your doctor’s referral says which section to scan: retina and nerve — back-of-the-eye OCT; drainage angle and corneal thickness — front-of-the-eye OCT. No referral? Start with a visit: the doctor will tell you whether you need this test at all.
Retina and nerve
Back-of-the-eye OCT
Macula and optic disc. For diabetes, swelling, AMD, a spot or distortion in the centre, and glaucoma.
10,000 ₸for both eyes
Retina treatment
Front of the eye
Front-of-the-eye OCT
The drainage angle and corneal thickness — pachymetry. It shows whether the path fluid takes out of the eye is open.
10,000 ₸for both eyes
Glaucoma treatment
All at once
Front and back OCT
Both sections in one go — cheaper than separately: 18,000 instead of 20,000 ₸ for both eyes.
18,000 ₸for both eyes
Full eye diagnostics
Glaucoma
Glaucoma package
Both OCT scans plus eye pressure measured two ways, visual field, drainage angle, back of the eye and a talk with the doctor — all in one diagnostic visit.
40,000 ₸per visit
Follow-up — 20,000 ₸ per visit
All diagnostic packagesPrices from the clinic’s price list. If an RB CLINIC doctor orders the OCT after a visit, the test is done on another day — that’s what the price list says.
Sound familiar?
When a retina and optic nerve OCT is ordered
OCT is most often ordered when the eye doesn’t hurt yet and barely bothers you. That’s exactly when it helps most: what’s caught early is easier to save. It doesn’t replace an eye exam — it shows what the slit lamp can’t.
- Diabetes, even if you see well
- Glaucoma or suspected glaucoma
- Straight lines look wavy
- A spot or haze in the centre
- A course of eye injections
- Past retinal surgery
- High myopia
- Over 40, with glaucoma in the family
Sound familiar? A scan answers better than guesswork. Back-of-the-eye OCT — 10,000 ₸ for both eyes. Not sure you need it? Start with an ophthalmologist consultation, from 7,000 ₸ per visit.
Nothing touches the eye
How an eye OCT scan works
It hurts no more than having your photo taken. The scanner touches nothing: a beam of light passes over the eye like a checkout scanner over a barcode. That’s all optical coherence tomography is for you — four steps.
Walk through the clinic — 8 rooms in a minuteStarting with diagnostics
- 1
You sit at the device
Chin on the rest, forehead against the bar — so your head stays still and the scan comes out sharp.
- 2
Look at the light
A marker glows inside the device. You look at it and don’t blink for a couple of seconds — you’ll be asked to.
- 3
Seconds per eye
An invisible infrared beam passes over the retina. It doesn’t burn, dazzle or irradiate — it’s the same kind of light as a TV remote.
- 4
The scan on screen
The computer builds the cross-section from the layers, and the doctor can show it to you straight away and explain what’s on it.
No drops, no injections, nothing touching your eye. After the test you can go straight back to your day: no restrictions.
When a scan may not work
There are no conditions that rule out OCT completely. But a sharp scan is harder to get if:
- a mature cataract clouds the beam’s path;
- the eye is inflamed or injured right now;
- the eye is watering a lot;
- there is nystagmus — the eye can’t hold still;
- a young child finds it hard to look at one point.
Then the doctor will suggest repeating the test later or checking the eye with ultrasound — 3,000 ₸ for both eyes: sound sees through a cloudy lens.
Before the test
How to prepare for OCT
No special preparation is needed. Four things make the scan more useful.
Bring your previous OCT scans
OCT’s real strength is comparison. The doctor puts the new scan next to the old one and sees whether swelling is going down or the nerve is thinning.
Bring your doctor’s referral
It says which section to scan: back, front or both. That way you won’t pay for a test you don’t need.
A list of your drops and medicines
The doctor needs to know how you treat your eyes, diabetes and blood pressure to read the scan correctly and compare it with the last one.
You can drive
OCT is usually done without pupil-dilating drops. If the doctor decides to use them to examine the back of the eye, it’s better not to drive afterwards.
Our own photos, not a single stock shot
Where you’ll have your OCT: RB CLINIC, 12 Orynbor St
The scan, the doctor who reads it and treatment if you need it — all in one building. No carrying a printout across town. Drag the strip or tap a photo.
Real review
The doctors who read the scans — in their own videos
Dr. Karibayev examines the back of the eye: one finding caught in time prevents a serious complication
Zhukeyev
Floaters getting in the way of reading? Dr. Zhukeyev on the laser that clears them
@dr.jukeev ↗Clinic patients — in their own words
Tap a video and it opens right here, with sound.
Dr. Bigeldiyev’s team
Who reads your scan and tells you what to do
A scan treats nothing by itself — what matters is who reads it. Here the results are read by doctors who then treat what they find on the scan themselves: with injections, laser or surgery. No need to hunt for a second doctor with a printout.
Galiyev Yerzhan Serikkanovich
Eye injections, cataract, glaucoma
Runs the Glaucoma package, which already includes both OCT scans. If the scan shows macular oedema, he gives the eye injections himself.
PhD
40,000 ₸ per visit · Glaucoma package
Karibayev Sayat Aralovich
Retinal and glaucoma laser
Examines the back of the eye through a dilated pupil and strengthens the retina with laser if the scan finds a weak spot.
10,000 ₸ per visit · laser from 50,000 ₸ per eye, per stage
Zhukeyev Sagat Serikovich
Retinal laser, laser vision correction
Strengthens the retina with laser and clears floaters. The reel about “100% vision” above is from his page.
10,000 ₸ per visit · laser from 50,000 ₸ per eye, per stage
Zhanysbayev Almat Zhuparbayevich
Retinal surgery, eye injections
If the scan shows a hole or a membrane, he is the one who performs retinal surgery — vitrectomy — at the clinic. Eye injections too.
from 180,000 ₸ per injection, drug extra
Honestly, before you book
If the scan finds something
Treatment is in the same building, and you know the price in advance. Here’s where each finding leads. The decision stays yours.
Swelling, wet AMDEye injectionsfrom 180,000 ₸ per injection, drug extra
Diabetes, weak spots in the retinaRetinal laser photocoagulationfrom 50,000 ₸ per eye, per stage
Hole, membrane, detachmentVitreoretinal surgeryvitrectomy — 1,000,000 ₸ per eye
Thinning optic nerveGlaucoma treatmentglaucoma diagnostics — 40,000 ₸ per visit
Floaters, flashes, a shadowRetina treatmentback-of-the-eye exam — 10,000 ₸ per visit
Check the whole eyeEye diagnosticsfull exam — 20,000 ₸ per visit
With glaucoma, OCT is often paired with computerised perimetry — 5,000 ₸ per test: it shows how well you see at the edges. OCT shows the nerve; perimetry shows what it has already lost.
An OCT scan in seconds
Book an eye OCT
Tell us which test your doctor ordered — or just write “I need an OCT” — and our administrator will find a time. No referral? We’ll suggest where to start.
- You sit at the device
- Look at the light
- The scan — seconds per eye
- The doctor explains what it shows
It doesn’t hurt: nothing touches your eye, only a beam of light passes over it.
Call: +7 771 848 00 00 · +7 702 747 11 77
Questions
Questions about eye OCT
How much does an eye OCT cost in Astana?
Optical coherence tomography at RB CLINIC: back-of-the-eye OCT — retina, macula and optic nerve — costs 10,000 ₸ for both eyes. Front-of-the-eye OCT — drainage angle and corneal thickness — is also 10,000 ₸ for both eyes. Both together — 18,000 ₸ for both eyes. The Glaucoma package, 40,000 ₸ per visit, already includes both OCT scans.
Does optical coherence tomography hurt?
No. The device doesn’t touch your eye, and no drops or injections are needed. You look at a glowing marker while an invisible infrared beam scans the retina. This light doesn’t harm the eye, and there is no radiation.
How long does OCT take?
The scan itself takes a few seconds per eye. Settling in at the device takes longer than the scan. You can go straight back to your day afterwards.
Do I need to prepare, and can I drive afterwards?
No special preparation is needed. Bring your previous OCT scans and your doctor’s referral — it shows which section to scan. OCT usually doesn’t need pupil-dilating drops, so you can drive afterwards. If the doctor does use them for an exam, it’s best to come with a driver.
Which OCT do I need: front or back?
The one your doctor wrote down. Back-of-the-eye OCT looks at the retina, macula and optic disc: it’s ordered for diabetes, swelling, AMD, glaucoma, spots and distortion. Front-of-the-eye OCT looks at the drainage angle and corneal thickness. With glaucoma you often need both. No referral? Start with an ophthalmologist consultation or a full eye exam: the doctor will tell you whether you need an OCT.
Which is better: eye ultrasound or OCT?
They don’t replace each other. OCT is an optical test: it uses light to image the retina and nerve layer by layer, accurate to microns. Eye ultrasound uses sound to see through cloudy media — for example, with a mature cataract or a haemorrhage, when light can’t get through. Eye ultrasound at RB CLINIC costs 3,000 ₸ for both eyes.
How often should I have an OCT?
As often as your doctor says. With glaucoma, OCT is usually repeated every 3–6 months to see whether the nerve is thinning. During a course of eye injections, OCT shows whether the swelling is going down. For people over 40 with no complaints, once a year is recommended so that retinal or nerve disease isn’t missed.
Who explains what’s on the scan?
An ophthalmologist. The scan can go straight up on screen so you can see what’s on it. If an RB CLINIC doctor ordered the OCT, you go back to them with the result, and they decide whether treatment is needed: injections, laser or surgery — all right here.
RB CLINIC, 12 Orynbor St, Astana · +7 771 848 00 00 · +7 702 747 11 77