OPHTHALMOLOGY

Gregory Eippert, MD

Q: What is an ophthalmoscopy? Should this be done at every eye exam?

A: An ophthalmoscopy is an examination of the fundus, the back part of the eye, and includes the retina, optic disc, choroid, and blood vessels. It is an essential element of a dilated eye exam that enables the doctor to accurately and thoroughly assess the health of your eyes. The importance of an ophthalmoscopy is that sometimes the signs of eye disease are visible in the eyes long before actual visual symptoms appear or occur such as with glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration, among others. Changes in the eyes can also reflect changes in the vascular, nervous, and immune systems with conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, drug toxicity, high cholesterol, and others. What makes your eyes such good barometers for both your body and eye health is the fact that not only do brain tissue, muscle, and blood vessels all meet in your eyes, but it all occurs in a place where your eye doctor can actually see them functioning, a ‘live’ view without using invasive techniques.

After your pupils are dilated, your eye doctor can perform an ophthalmoscopy by utilizing various levels of magnification and illumination to examine both the fundus and the periphery. During this examination, your doctor can see potential problems including diabetic or hypertensive retinopathy, a swollen optic nerve or papilledema, a cupped optic disc damaged by glaucoma, drusen or changes from macular degeneration, detached or torn retina, broken blood vessels or hemorrhages, and the progression of cataracts. With early detection of specific eye problems found during an ophthalmoscopy, potential vision loss can be slowed, or in some cases prevented, with appropriate treatment as recommended by your doctor. Even if your eyes are normal and you have good vision, they can change over time like any other part of your body. That is why it is important to have regular exams during which an ophthalmoscopy is performed, particularly if there is any family history of eye disease. Many eye and vision problems have no obvious signs or symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment of eye and vision problems are important for maintaining good vision and eye health.

Gregory Eippert, MD 9485 Mentor Ave., #110, Mentor 44060 440-255-1115 www.opivision.com