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Ophthalmoscopy

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Ophthalmoscopy

Definition:

Ophthalmoscopy is an examination of the back part of the eyeball (fundus), which includes the retina, optic disc, choroid, and blood vessels.

Alternative Names:
Fundoscopy

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How the test is performed:

Direct ophthalmoscopy: You will be seated in a darkened room. The examiner performs this common examination by projecting a beam of light from an ophthalmoscope, through the pupil, to view the back of the eyeball. An ophthalmoscope is an instrument about the size of a flashlight, with a light source and a disk of rotating lenses.

The magnification obtained by using the direct ophthalmoscope occurs because the eye itself is a simple magnifier. The rotating lenses incorporated in the instrument are used to correct the focusing error of the examiner or the patient being examined.

Slit-lamp ophthalmoscopy: You will be seated at the same instrument used in examining the front part of the eye. An additional lens will be held close to the eye to enable the doctor to see the interior part of the eye (the fundus). This has the advantage of a three-dimensional view in addition to the magnification of direct ophthalmoscopy. The view is much wider than that of direct ophthalmoscopy, but not as wide as indirect ophthalmoscopy.

Indirect ophthalmoscopy: You will either lie or sit in a semi-reclining position. The examiner performs this examination by holding the eye open. The examiner wears an instrument on the head resembling a miner's light. While holding the eye open and using a hand-held instrument, the examiner shines a very bright light into the eye. Some pressure may be applied to the eyeball using a small, blunt instrument, and you will be asked to look in various directions.