If your doctor or optometrist is concerned about your vision, they might recommend retinal imaging. This test gives them a better picture of the inside of your eye.
Retinal imaging is usually a noninvasive, painless procedure that takes an image of the back of your eye. It gives your doctor or optometrist a detailed view of your retina’s structure and blood vessels, which they can use to check for signs of certain conditions.
Doctors use a few common technologies for retinal imaging:
- optical coherence tomography
- fundus photography
- fluorescein angiography (this requires injecting contrast dye into a vein)
Your doctor or optometrist can use retinal imaging to detect
- Diabetic retinopathy: This diabetes complication affects your eye’s blood vessels. The complication can cause those blood vessels to bleed or leak fluid, damaging your vision.
- Macular degeneration: This form of vision loss affects your macula, which is part of your retina. There are two types: dry and wet.
- Glaucoma: Increased pressure in your eye can damage your optical nerve, leading to vision loss.
- Retinal detachment or tears: This happens when your retina tears or peels away from surrounding tissues. Experts consider it a medical emergency.
- Hypertension: Over time, hypertension (high blood pressure) can cause hypertensive retinopathy. The increased blood pressure affects blood vessels in your eyes.
- Ocular tumors: These are growths that can develop on your retina. They can be malignant (cancerous) or benign (noncancerous).
- Neurological conditions: In some cases, neurological conditions like multiple sclerosis can damage your optic nerve, leading to vision loss.
Speak with a healthcare professional if you have trouble with your vision and think you may need testing. If you receive a diagnosis of one of the above conditions after a retinal imaging test, they’ll advise you on treatment options and next steps.