Biomicroscopic examination of the anterior segment of the eye (conjunctiva, cornea, lens)

What is an ophthalmological microscope and what is it for?

An ophthalmological microscope is a device that illuminates the eye with strong light and observes it under magnification. This device is often called a slit lamp and biomicroscope in practice. The slit lamp has the ability to illuminate the eye with a narrow slit of light through which the ophthalmologist can show the position, depth and size of the eye structures being observed through the layers of anatomical structures.

This method primarily examines anatomical structures and pathological changes in the front segment of the eye: eyelids, conjunctiva, sclera, cornea, anterior chamber, lens and vitreous.

Diagnosing eye condition by biomicroscopic examination

Often when describing the condition of the cornea is written fl. neg. which indicates a negative test with fluorescein dye. When evaluating the stability of the tear film, the integrity of the corneal epithelium and measuring the intraocular pressure, fluorescein dye is instilled into the eye or the eye is touched with a piece of paper containing fluorescein dye.

The orange fluorescein dye on a biomicroscope illuminated by blue light glows green. It gives us data on the stability of the tear film, shows damaged areas of the cornea and helps with measuring eye pressure. Also, when describing the external appearance of the eye, irregularities are mentioned if there are, for example, inflammation of the eyelids, irritation of the conjunctiva, damage and clouding of the cornea, depth and clouding of the anterior chamber, clouding of the eye lens, etc.

The biomicroscope also helps us to analyze the opacity of the lens and the anatomical structure of the retina after dilating the pupils with mydriatics. If the pupils are dilated, driving a car is not recommended. On the retina, the optic nerve, macula, blood vessels and periphery of the retina are analyzed. Therefore, this part of the ophthalmological examination is indispensable in diagnosing numerous diseases and conditions of the eye.

If you have noticed changes in your vision, react promptly and book an appointment for an ophthalmological examination.