Ophthalmoscope

Ophthalmoscopes are used by Optometrists to diagnose Eye Conditions Every person should have their vision checked once a year. People who wear contacts or eye glasses probably already know this, and have known it since their vision became a problem. However, even those with perfect 20/20 vision should see an eye doctor annually. One of the instruments used in an eye exam is called an ophthalmoscope. Because an ophthalmoscope allows the doctor to see the blood vessels in your eye he or she can tell if there are any problems that may affect your overall health. This includes high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.

There are two versions of the ophthalmoscope: the indirect and the direct. The direct ophthalmoscope is the one you may be most familiar with. It is a handheld instrument with an eyepiece to look through, a concave mirror, and a battery powered light. It is used to examine the interior of the eye. Different lenses allow the operator to see different depths within the eye.

The indirect ophthalmoscope is a light source and a lens attached to a headband. Its lens is more powerful than that of the direct ophthalmoscope to detect conditions such as a detached retina.

The ophthalmoscope we know today has its roots in a device created in 1823 by a man named Johannes Purkinje. Purkinje may have been the first person to ever see what the back of the eye looks like. In 1847, an English inventor named Charles Babbage updated the design of Purkinje’s device. However, it was “reinvented” a few years later by Herman von Helmholtz, a German physician and physicist, who demonstrated the ophthalmoscope’s usefulness more completely. It was his version of the ophthalmoscope and his interest in optics that revolutionized the field of ophthalmology.

If you would like to learn more about the ophthalmoscope or how it is used, please contact an experienced eye doctor in your area today.