Have you ever wondered what your doctor has been doing when he looks into your eyes during your check-ups? What is that instrument that he uses to check you up? It is ophthalmoscope.

The ophthalmoscope is very important in many medical fields like in cardiology, diabetes, hematology, neurology, and medical genetics.

Ophthalmoscope is one of the most important tools that a physician uses. This instrument is used to examine the eye specifically the retina and the vitreous humor to find any swelling of the optic disc.

The process of the use ophthalmoscope requires widening of the pupils with drops so that the doctor can look at the eyes easily.

Importance of the use of ophthalmoscope

Ophthalmoscope is now being used to determine illness in patients. To follow are some of the cases where the use of ophthalmoscope has been very important.

When the patient has headache, the discovery of a swollen optic disc or papilledema using ophthalmoscopy indicates increased intracranial pressure (ICP) which could cause hydrocephalus, benign intracranial hypertension (also known as pseudotumor cerebri), or brain tumor, among other malady. Cupped optic discs are viewed in glaucoma.

Next, if the patient has diabetes mellitus, constant ophthalmoscopic eye examinations, which is once every six months to one year, is compulsory to screen for diabetic retinopathy. In this case, visual loss because of diabetes can be avoided by retinal laser treatment because the retinopathy is diagnosed earlier.

Also, when another patient has arterial hypertension, hypertensive changes of the retina can be easily determined and is said to be closely related to the brain. Thus, the use of the ophthalmoscope may predict cerebrovascular accidents or strokes.

Other illnesses which can be assumed through the use of ophthalmoscope are the two types of sclerosis—intimal atherosclerosis and arteriolar sclerosis. The last is considered a consequence of hypertension.

Types of ophthalmoscopes

There are two types of ophthalmoscopes often used by doctors to check their patient’s conditions. These are the direct and indirect ophthalmoscope. The direct ophthalmoscope is a hand-held instrument with light source. This is made of a concave mirror and is battery-operated. Parts of this kind of ophthalmoscope include a series of lenses that can be moved in and out to give the doctor a clearer view of the retina. The direct ophthalmoscope is helpful in the case of the direct retina.

The other type is the indirect ophthalmoscope which is often used to scan the entire retina. This instrument is often worn in the doctor’s head. It is used by placing a special lens in front of the patient’s eye while looking through the ophthalmoscope’s magnifying glasses. In that case, the doctor can see the retina clearly.

A more specific type of the indirect ophthalmoscope is the binocular indirect ophthalmoscope that has illumination optics which has a tilted mirror that can be substantially-linearly moved. This can be done by a first control which is perpendicular to a beam path of an illumination beam exiting the ophthalmoscope.

The mirror of the binocular indirect ophthalmoscope can also be moved by independently pivoting it through the second control. It is an axis perpendicular to the beam path of the illumination beam and it is also perpendicular to a direction of linear displacement which is the mirror managing the light of the illumination beam onto a retina of the patient.

The controls for moving and pivoting a tilted mirror are paired to one another in such a way that the second control can be held at an immovable position reciprocal to a housing of an ophthalmoscope.

Aside from the binocular indirect ophthalmoscope, there is also a monocular indirect ophthalmoscope which is an unusual compact instrument. This type is best used for small pupils and its controls are easy to reach by the thumb.

Uses of ophthalmoscopes

Here are some of the tips regarding the use of an ophthalmoscope. For the pupil and the opacity, keep in mind that when you light the instrument into the patient’s eye, you should get a red-orange fundus glow back from the retina depicting that there is nothing blocking the path. When that happens, it is the best time to asses the patient’s pupil by matching up their equality and shape.

To go to the anterior segment of the eyes, add plus to the ophthalmoscope and work little by little to the patient’s cornea while keeping the eye focused clearly, and examining the cornea, sclera, eyelids, iris, and lashes. The correct distance that you, as the doctor, should be within the examination is about two to three inches away from the patient.

For the vitreous, the plus power of the ophthalmoscope should be lowered. For the optic discs, the proper control of accommodation permits for a close estimation of the patient’s refractive error.