What to Expect During a Retinal Exam

So, your eye doctor has suggested a retinal examination. But isn’t that only needed if you have or are at high risk of serious eye disease? Does it mean there’s a problem? Will it hurt? Should I panic…?

These are natural worries to have if your ophthalmologist has just casually flung a, “Let’s do a retinal exam” into the mix…

First of all, let’s put your mind at rest. General retinal examinations are recommended for all healthy adults as part of your regular eye care. The American Optometric Association suggests these are done every two years for those aged 18-64 and annually for those older. If you suffer from certain medical conditions, then this might be more frequent, but more about that later.

The initial retinal exam process is short and painless. After applying drops that dilate the pupil, your eye will be examined in detail using various diagnostic aids. This includes an ophthalmoscope—a small hand-held tool that shines a small beam of light into the eye. The doctor needs to get up close and personal to do this, so you might want to lay off the spicy food and garlic the night before…

They also use a special type of lens and light that allows them to see the inner-eye structures and retina in fine, 3D detail. For anyone sensitive to bright light this might be a tad uncomfortable, but it won’t hurt. Finally, they use a slit-lamp—another tool that allows detailed examination of the back of the eye.

All of this only takes about 10 minutes, plus a few minutes for the dilating eyedrops to work. The worst part is having these put in—some people say they sting. But that passes very quickly.

OK, so that’s the process—and there’s no real retina test preparation that you need to do, except for bringing sunglasses as your pupils will remain dilated for a while afterward. You should also bring someone to drive you home, as the drops might make your vision a bit blurry.

However, if your eye doctor finds anything that needs more investigation, then further tests may be needed, as well as retinal imaging.

Retinal Imaging & Tests: Additional Eye Exams for Retina Issues

If the initial retina exam process shows any area of concern, if you’re at a higher risk of retinal disease, or have certain medical conditions, then you might require further retinal imaging tests. The eyes are rather like a window into entire body health, and it’s not unheard of for symptoms of a non-eye related condition to be spotted during the process as well. This isn’t said to make you panic… Indeed, it’s a good thing as the sooner any physical issue is diagnosed, the more likely it can be efficiently treated.

Your ophthalmologist has a bunch of tests in their armory, including:

Retinal imaging: This takes an HD, close-up, color picture of the back of the eye. Totally painless and takes seconds.
Fluorescein Angiography (FA): This might be done in conjunction with the imaging. Some dye is injected into your arm and the pictures are taken as it passes through the eye.
Optical Coherent Tomography (OCT): This provides images of each layer of the optic nerve and retina. Again, it’s non-invasive and doesn’t hurt. The scan takes around 5-10 minutes.

Such eye exams are for retina issues in those with (or at risk of):

Diabetes.
Glaucoma.
Macular edema.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Retinal tears.
Macular hole and/or pucker.
Eye trauma or injury.
Hypertension.
Those on certain medications, such as some that are prescribed for arthritis.
Anyone with symptoms of potential retinal issues, such as dark shadow, seeing flashes, increased floaters, or blurred vision.

However in-depth the diagnostics needed, in general, the entire retinal exam process is painless, although there may be a little discomfort. Those with known conditions, such as diabetes and glaucoma, should have more frequent retinal exams. Diabetics should have one at least annually, and if you’ve been diagnosed with glaucoma, this might be as often as every six months.

The West Boca Eye Center specializes in diagnosing, managing, and treating common and not-so-common eye conditions. With advanced imaging techniques on-site—including cutting-edge eye examinations for retinal issues—our patients benefit from a single location for every element of their eye care.

Discover more at https://www.westbocaeyecenter.com/

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