page_title: Eye examination
section_title: Retinal examination
hierarchical_section_title: Eye examination / Basic examination / Retinal examination
caption_attribution_description: English: A human eye after the pupil was dilated using drops during an eye exam. Self-portrait by Ben Schumin.
context_page_description: An eye examination is a series of tests performed by an ophthalmologist, optometrist, or orthoptist, optician, assessing vision and ability to focus on and discern objects, as well as other tests and examinations pertaining to the eyes.
  Health care professionals often recommend that all people should have periodic and thorough eye examinations as part of routine primary care, especially since many eye diseases are asymptomatic.
  Eye examinations may detect potentially treatable blinding eye diseases, ocular manifestations of systemic disease, or signs of tumours or other anomalies of the brain.
  A full eye examination consists of an external examination, followed by specific tests for visual acuity, pupil function, extraocular muscle motility, visual fields, intraocular pressure and ophthalmoscopy through a dilated pupil.
  A minimal eye examination consists of tests for visual acuity, pupil function, and extraocular muscle motility, as well as direct ophthalmoscopy through an undilated pupil.
context_section_description: Examination of retina (fundus examination) is an important part of the general eye examination. Dilating the pupil using special eye drops greatly enhances the view and permits an extensive examination of peripheral retina. A limited view can be obtained through an undilated pupil, in which case best results are obtained with the room darkened and the patient looking towards the far corner. The appearance of the optic disc and retinal vasculature are also recorded during fundus examination.
  A red reflex can be seen when looking at a patient's pupil through a direct ophthalmoscope.  This part of the examination is done from a distance of about 50 cm and is usually symmetrical between the two eyes.  An opacity may indicate a cataract.
  Retinal vessel analysis is a non-invasive method to examine the small arteries and veins in the retina which allows to draw conclusions about the morphology and the function of small vessels elsewhere in the human body and is used in particular by cardiologists as well as ophthalmologists.
caption: Fully dilated pupil prior to ophthalmoscopic examination
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