Help the development of the site, sharing the article with friends!
Even when you have excellent vision, it is worth visiting an ophthalmologist from time to time and have your eyesight checked. What tests can you perform in a modern ophthalmological office?
Typeeye testis always dependent on the reason that prompted us to visit an ophthalmologist. If, over the years, "our hands are too short", an uncomplicatedeye testis enough to read the fine print. The situation is different when the eyes begin to suffer from diseases or their condition is affected by systemic diseases, e.g. diabetes or atherosclerosis.
Basic eye examination
- Computer eye examinationis based on the assessment of the curvature of the cornea and the vision defect. The test allows you to assess the efficiency of the eye as an optical apparatus and determine the defect it has. But you have to remember that such a test does not always allow you to choose the right glasses. This is for a number of reasons. First and foremost, young people have strong eye muscles that adapt the power of the eye to the distance they want to look at. Computer eye examination is performed without turning off these muscles, which influences the imprecise assessment of the vision defect. In addition, the power of the glasses must be matched to the patient's expectations. This means that a person who has seen the world somewhat indistinctly will not wear glasses that emphasize all the nuances.
- The intra-eye pressure testis performed using a tonometer. Ophthalmologists most often use automatic devices that eject a portion of the air themselves. Air hits the cornea and deforms it. The higher the pressure inside the eye, the more difficult it is to deform the cornea. Another device used to measure the pressure inside the eye is the applanation tonometer equipped with a special prism that approaches the eye (it is anesthetized) and measures the pressure. The test gives the answer whether we are within the normal range (9-20 mmHG) or not. High pressure in the eye does not necessarily indicate the development of glaucoma, but e.g. ocular hypertension.
- Visual acuityshould be tested at every ophthalmologist visit. The patient has to read the letters from the blackboard and recognize the shapes. It is assumed that if someone reads 10 of the 10 rows shown on the board, they have full visual acuity. After the far vision is assessed, the near vision acuity is assessed, i.e.ability to read fine print. Usually, after the age of 40, most people need a pair of reading glasses (the defect itself is called presbyopia or presbyopia). Between the ages of 40 and 65, we change the eyepieces every 3-5 years on average, because the vision defect is getting worse. Most people around the age of 65 use okpara + 3.5-4 diopters for reading
- The examination of the whole eyeis performed with the use of a slit lamp (biomicroscope). The device allows you to view the entire eye. First, the condition of the front part of the eye is assessed, i.e. the area from the cornea to the lens. If the doctor also wants to examine the fundus, he equips the slit lamp with an additional lens and thus can assess the condition of the retina. For the examination to be properly performed, the doctor must dilate the pupil to assess changes in the entire retina - from its beginning (not visible without pupil dilation) to the end, i.e. the optic nerve. The optic nerve is made up of the nerve fibers of the retina. By examining the fundus of the eye, it is also possible to identify many systemic diseases, which include, for example, diabetes and atherosclerosis. Simply put, it can be said that changes that an ophthalmologist observes at the bottom of the eye are also present in other organs.
Additional eye tests
If, after performing basic tests, the doctor cannot make a diagnosis, he makes another diagnosis. This also happens if the patient's family members have had glaucoma or the patient has high pressure inside the eye, changes in the optic nerve, or other disturbing symptoms.
- Visual field testdetermines the sensitivity of the optic nerve. It consists in looking at light stimuli of varying intensity. With a weak optic nerve, the patient will only see strong light, and not the weaker one. The results refer to established age norms. Decreased sensitivity of the optic nerve signifies illness. The restriction of the visual field may also suggest a brain disease, such as a tumor of the pituitary gland.
- Eye imaging tests(HRT, GDX, OTC) is a very modern technique of examining individual sections of eye tissues, e.g. retina, optic disc, cornea. The test is performed when glaucoma, macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic changes in the retina or cancer are suspected. It is extremely precise and allows you to detect even the smallest abnormalities in the structure of the eye.
- Eye ultrasoundcalled ultrasound A (A for amplitude) allows you to see what is happening behind the eye, i.e. in the eye socket. The test is also performed when a slit lamp cannot be used to diagnose a patient. This is the case, for example, if the patient cannot see the inside of the eyedue to cataracts or corneal endosperm. Ultrasound shows changes in the retina such as retinal detachment or tear, eye tumors, strokes, glaucomatous changes in the optic nerve. Ultrasound A is also performed in order to select an appropriate lens for the patient that needs to be replaced, e.g. due to cataracts. The ultrasound A record is somewhat similar to the ECG, where each inclination of the record line has its own meaning and means, for example, the type of tissue, its consistency or vascularity.
- The ultra-wide-angle fundus examinationis the most modern examination method used in ophthalmology. Previous devices allowed to take a picture of a small area of the retina in the range of approx. 50 degrees. Since this year, it has become possible to photograph the 200-degree area of the retina. Thanks to the new technology, the doctor can examine the eye from the beginning of the retina to the optic nerve during one examination.
Attention, new! Thedevice for examining the tear compositionwill soon be available in ophthalmology offices. The apparatus will help people suffering from dry eye syndrome much more effectively.
"Zdrowie" monthly