Slit Lamp Examination
Updated January 01, 2014.
Written or reviewed by a board-certified physician. See About.com's Medical Review Board.
During a comprehensive eye exam, a slit lamp is used to obtain a magnified view of the anatomy of your eyes. It is a valuable tool used to detect many eye problems, including cataracts and other eye diseases.
A slit lamp is a specialized instrument called a biomicroscope that uses a high-powered slit of light to illuminate your eye. The width and height of the light beam can be changed depending on what structure of your eye your doctor is looking at.
Using a slit lamp, your doctor can check the overall health of your eyes and screen for eye diseases. Special lenses that focus on the back part of your eye can be held in front of your eyes to view the retina.
During a slit lamp examination, you will be asked to remove your glasses or contact lenses before moving your chin and forehead up to the slit lamp. Your doctor may choose to dilate your eyes or instill special fluorescein eye drops to highlight certain imperfections on the front part of your eye.
The light of the slit lamp may seem bright, especially if your eyes are sensitive to light.
Source:
Martonyi, Csaba L. CRA FOPS, Charles F. Bahn MD and Roger F. Meyer MD. Slit Lamp: Examination and Photography. Time One Ink, Ltd, 2007.
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