Here’s a video showing how to use the Welch Allyn Pan Optic Ophthalmoscope for fundscopy. A lot of ED’s have these, but there’s a couple of tips that will maximise your view (skip to around the 9:28 mark for the actual demo on how to perform fundoscopy.
Here’s our tips:
- Dilate the pupil – we’re often reluctant to do this in ED, but seriously, would an Ophthalmologist give an opinion through an un-dilated pupil? Probably not. Your view of the retina will be far better when the pupil is dilated, so go ahead and do it.
- Get the patient to sit looking straight ahead, and come in from around a 15-20 degree angle for the first view – this will land you directly on the optic disc.
- Then ask the patient to look straight into the light, and you will see the macula.
It really is that simple, and once you get the hang of it, you will achieve far superior views than you ever have with a standard ophthalmoscope!
Posted in Ophthalmology