A noninvasive procedure in which an ophthalmologist (a doctor specializing in eye disorders) uses an ophthalmoscope to examine the inside of the eye. The ophthalmoscope is used first to direct a beam of light into the eye and then to examine the light-sensitive retina; the retinal blood vessels; the head of the optic nerve; and the jelly-like vitreous humour.
n. an instrument for examining the interior of the eye. There are two types. The direct ophthalmoscope enables a fine beam of light to be directed into the eye and at the same time allows the examiner to see the spot where the beam falls inside the eye. Examiner and subject are very close together. In the indirect ophthalmoscope an image of the inside of the eye is formed between the subject and the examiner; it is this image that the examiner sees. The examiner and subject are almost an arm’s length apart. A scanning laser ophthalmoscope uses a scanning camera, rather than a human observer, to view the inside of the eye. —ophthalmoscopy n.... ophthalmoscope
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