Digital Fundus Photography

What is Digital Fundus Photography?

Fundus photography is the process of taking a series of photographs of the inside of your eye through the pupil. A fundus camera is a specialised low-power microscope attached to a camera, used to examine structures such as the optic disc, retina and lens.

What happens during fundus photography?

Before the procedure, your ophthalmologist may give you an eye drop to enlarge the pupil. This allows the doctor to examine the interior surface of your eye far more thoroughly.

During the procedure

• You will be asked to sit in front of the fundus camera with your chin on a chin rest and your forehead against the bar.

• Your doctor will focus and align the camera on your pupil (the black centre of your eye).

• When the doctor presses the shutter release, a flash fires and a photograph of the interior surface of your eye is captured.

What are the benefits of fundus photography?

The benefits include:

• It is a non-invasive procedure that takes only a minute or two.

• The details of the retina (the interior surface of the eye) are easier to appreciate in stereoscopic fundus photographs than by examining the eye directly.

• It provides a bird’s-eye view of the retinal layers as a whole, helping your doctor reach the most accurate diagnosis.

• Certain internal landmarks of the eye are often more visible on fundus photography than on other eye examinations — for example, fluorescein angiography (an examination in which a fluorescent dye is injected).

• A series of photographs of the internal structures of your eye allows your doctor to follow subtle changes in the optic nerve and recommend the appropriate treatment.

• It supports early and accurate diagnosis — particularly of the changes seen in the eyes of patients with diabetes and high blood pressure — which is essential for timely treatment and a better outcome.

• You receive images of the retina’s current appearance, which can sometimes be more valuable than the physician’s notes alone.

Athens EyeCare Clinic has one of the most modern fundus cameras, offering Autofluorescence, Digital Fluoroangiography and Digital Indocyanine Angiography — the Visucam 524 from Zeiss.