A funduscopic (fundus) exam is a visual examination that detects eye diseases. It also allows for monitoring diseases such as diabetes or high blood pressure. It is important to note that such an exam causes pupil dilation, so vision will be blurry and will not return to normal for 2 to 4 hours afterward; it is therefore necessary to be accompanied and not to drive after a fundus exam.
What is a fundus exam?
A fundus exam is performed by an ophthalmologist to screen for diseases, anticipate problems like retinal detachment, or monitor diseases such as diabetes. To successfully perform this exam, the ophthalmologist uses 3 different techniques.
First technique
The first technique involves projecting light through the pupil using an ophthalmoscope. This technique is very fast.
Second technique
The second technique involves observing the patient's retina more closely using a convex examination lens. This second technique only takes a few minutes.
Third technique
The third technique will only be used if the ophthalmologist needs a complete view of the fundus. This third technique will therefore be longer than the first two. It consists of dilating the pupil with eye drops and placing a three-mirror lens directly on the eye to properly examine the patient's retina. This last technique takes approximately 30 minutes.
Frequency of fundus exams
This exam must be prescribed by a doctor and can be performed from early childhood. It is necessary to consult an ophthalmologist every 5 years if you have no particular problems between 15 and 40 years old, and every 2 years after 40 years old. For people with a vision disorder, it is necessary to make an appointment at least every 2 years for a check-up.
