Diseases of the eye can be very difficult to diagnose considering the small size of the eyeball. Most of the eye pathologies nowadays are diagnosed by using modern digitalized eye imaging equipment. With the advancement of such devices, it has become increasingly easy to promptly diagnose and treat ophthalmic diseases. One such useful instrument is a portable slit lamp which is routinely used by ophthalmologists whenever you go for an eye checkup. 

In this article, you’ll get to know more about slit lamps, especially the portable slit lamp and the ways by which it can be very useful for ophthalmologists. Let’s begin!

What is a slit lamp?

A slit lamp is a special microscope that is used for a 3-D eye examination by using a bright light. It provides the ophthalmologist the opportunity to have a closer look at different structures at the front and inside of the eye. It is often used with an associated ophthalmoscope to look at the back of the eye. 

The examination of the eye using a slit lamp is called biomicroscopy. 

What to expect during a slit lamp exam?

There isn’t any kind of special preparation needed for a slit lamp exam. Patients would be asked to sit on an examination chair where the doctor would place the instrument in front of the patient. Then ophthalmologist will allow the patient to place his chin and forehead on it for head steadiness. Eye drops can also be put into your eye before the examination to make the corneal surface more visible.

A high-intensity light is flashed into your eye using a slit lamp and the image of the eye produced is observed under a low-powered microscope.

What structures are examined in biomicroscopy?

During the slit lamp examination, the doctor usually examines the following areas of your eye:

  • Conjunctiva
  • Eyelids
  • Cornea
  • Lens
  • Sclera
  • Retina
  • Optic Nerve

Why should ophthalmologists buy a portable slit lamp?

No professional can work at his best without the use of related instruments. Similarly, ophthalmologists are unable to diagnose eye pathologies without a slit lamp. Many eye conditions that are easily diagnosed by the use of a slit lamp. 

A portable slit lamp can be useful in many ways to the ophthalmologists like:

  • Affordable and convenient: Gone are the days of large bulky slit lamps that could only be put in a room. Now, modern technology has allowed slit lamps to become portable. It can be easily put in a pocket and can be held in the hands.
  • Functionality everywhere: The most interesting thing about the portable slit lamp is that it can be attached to the back camera of your smartphone via a magnetic pad. The camera can then be used to capture the images of the eye. Mediworks slit lamp S150 features such a convenient mode of the eye examination by enabling the clinicians to carry it anywhere and record the pathology.
  • No less than the slit lamp machine: A portable slit lamp is of equal functionality as that of a proper room-based slit lamp. It allows ophthalmologists to have a proper view of the eye structures quickly and efficiently.

The Bottom Line

Science has done wonders and one of these is making a portable slit lamp to diagnose eye pathologies anywhere a clinician wants. A portable slit lamp is a hand-held easy-to-use device that allows ophthalmologists to use it along with their smartphones for diagnosing. Mediworks slit lamp S150, in addition to being portable and handy, also has a colt blue illumination system to further assist the ophthalmologist in anterior segment examination. Click here to know more about its interesting features! 

Author's Bio: 

Rabbi IT Firm