In this article from French weekly magazine Femme Actuelle, journalist Esther Buitekant works with Dr. Stéphanie Zwillinger to talk about an examination that can detect diseases which are not necessarily ocular: the funduscopic examination. Discover the first information in our blog post, and the entire Femme Actuelle article at the bottom of this page.
How does the funduscopic examination work?
The funduscopic examination is carried out by your ophthalmologist. This eye examination allows you to see very fine vessels: it allows you to observe elements that are usually invisible.
The examination is painless, and lasts on average an hour since the pupils must be dilated. To achieve this, your specialist uses mydriatic eye drops. Then, the funduscopic examination is performed, either by indirect (“inverted image”) ophthalmoscopy, or with a slit lamp (by biomicroscope).
The importance of this examination lies in its ability to reveal the structures of the eye behind the lens, the retina, and to access the small vessels. The ophthalmologist can, for example, observe porous vessels, small hemorrhages, etc., which are linked to a previously undetected disease.
The fundus of the eye and diseases: a first list
In the Femme Actuelle article, Dr Stéphanie Zwillinger goes into detail on the pathologies that can be detected with a funduscopic examination. Here is an exhaustive list:
- diabetes;
- cardiovascular diseases (blood pressure, cholesterol, atheroma);
- cholesterol emboli;
- a heartstroke;
- thrombosis;
- carotid dissection;
- an early cataract;
- hypertensive or diabetic retinopathy;
- transient ischemic attacks (TIA);
- cerebrovascular accidents (CVA).
To find out more about the examinations carried out by Dr Stéphanie Zwillinger, we invite you to consult our article on the ophthalmologist’s tools or on OCT, which can be carried out in addition to fundus examination.
Finally, the COP9 team invites you to visit the Femme Actuelle website by clicking on the button below!