Outstanding Features Of The Indirect Ophthalmoscope

By Teri Farley

Ophthalmoscopy is examination of the inner part of the eye with the help of an instrument known as an ophthalmoscope. The procedure falls into two categories, direct as well as indirect ophthalmoscopy. In direct ophthalmoscopy, the eye's image is produced as an upright image that is up to fifteen times the original size. The latter inverts the image not beyond five times the sizes and the instrument used is an indirect ophthalmoscope.

You can easily tell the difference between the two ophthalmoscopes using their unique features. The unique features also make the processes different in that they are done differently. The direct instrument is relatively smaller compared to the indirect one. In fact, it is the size of a torch but it has very powerful lenses that facilitate magnification. It is preferred for routine examinations. This equipment on the other hand comes with a head band that is used to hold the light. It also comes with handheld lens and its design is one that allows a broader view of the interior of the eye.

There are many advantages of using this indirect gadget. The first is that it provides a better view of the fundus of the eye and thus can even be seen with the lens covered with cataracts. It has condensing lenses that improves the field of view to up to 30 degrees. This makes it even better to view the retina in a peripheral way. Because of the improved way of view, you can be sure of best retinopathy assessment process using this gadget.

Utilizing an indirect funduscope has distinct advantages over its equivalent. It offers a broad perspective that renders a detailed view of the area around the eyes. This clear representation is achievable should the lens be covered by cataracts. The breadth of perspective increases by thirty degrees when facilitated by the potency of condensing lenses. By enabling a peripheral view of the retina, this approach is better, because it facilitates the retinopathy assessment process.

There is also better clarity of the organ opacities, improved by better lighting that permits visualization through the dense cloudy media. The improved vision forms when paths of the incident and the reflected lights being separate, which is not the case with direct ophthalmoscopy. Still, illumination is beneficial by increasing the pigmented lens size. Furthermore, this type can either be monocular or binocular and is used during peripheral viewing of the retina.

The stereoscopic images that result from this equipment are of high quality and illuminated well. The equipment itself is very portable and the doctor or examiner only needs to hold the lens at proximity of length of arm close to the eye of the patient. The advantage this gives is that the patient will not be intimidated at all however apprehensive they may be.

The increased working distance between patient and doctor cal allow for lower powered lenses that help keep a larger field of view. The degree of cooperation is also not required, a case common with direct ophthalmoscopy. Also, the examination of the inner part of the eye using ophthalmoscope process is used to view the retina to the extreme ends. This allows a holistic assessment of the eye by the examiner and may find underlying or hidden problems.

There are a few limitations though of using the indirect ophthalmoscope. It presents images in inverted vertical and horizontal formats that can be quite complicated and the level of magnification can also be lower. You will need to have a lot of patience so as to get a better view of image using this instrument. Nevertheless, the benefits of using this binocular type of ophthalmoscope outweigh these few limitations and so you can consider opting for it in your practice.


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