Ophthalmoscopy is a test that should be done every 5 years until the age of 40, and every 1-2 years after the age of 40. Thanks to the examination of the fundus, it is possible to detect serious eye diseases, but also diabetes and atherosclerosis.
Ophthalmoscopyallows you to check the condition of the retina, optic nerve and blood vessels - during this examination, the ophthalmologist looks at the bottom of the eye.
You should go to the ophthalmoscopy in the company of someone, because you will see worse for several hours after it. It is worth taking dark glasses with you, because the effect of applying mydriatics to the eyes is temporary photosensitivity. If you have glaucoma, you must bring a so-called a glaucoma book.
Tell your doctor what medications you are taking and what you are ill with. When you have the so-called narrow-angle glaucoma,fundus examinationcannot be performed with mydriatic drops, because such drugs may cause a dangerous increase in intraocular pressure. If someone in your family has or has had glaucoma, you must also inform your doctor. It is also important for an ophthalmologist to know that you are allergic to a drug.
The doctor will put a drop of mydriatics in your eyes. You wait a quarter of an hour for the pupil to dilate. This is necessary for the ophthalmologist to see more of the fundus area of the eye. Then, one by one, an ophthalmoscope, called an ophthalmic speculum, moves towards your eyes. It resembles a magnifying glass in a rectangular housing. From the inside of the ophthalmoscope a beam of light illuminates the bottom of the eye. In the center of this device there is a mirror and lenses that magnify the examined part of the eye several times. The image seen by the doctor is flat. When the ophthalmologist is to perform a more detailed examination, he approaches the so-called Volk's lens into the eye and peers inside through a slit lamp - a kind of electronic microscope. The image he sees is three-dimensional and can be magnified up to 70 times.
The examination is painless. Unfortunately, after mydriatic drops for approx. 3 hours you will see poorly up close and not very accurately from a distance (the so-called accommodation disorders). You may also experience photophobia, headache, nausea, and a dry mouth.
Thanks to ophthalmoscopy, the doctor can recognize most eye diseases, especially:
- retina (detachment, hemorrhages toretina, macular disease)
- uveal (inflammation, cancer)
- optic nerve (inflammation, glaucoma)
- the vitreous body filling the eyeball (bleeding, cloudiness).
By assessing the condition of the retinal vessels, the ophthalmologist can also detect the beginnings of, among others, diabetes, atherosclerosis or hypertension.