My Experience with the Optomap Retinal Exam

I switched to a different eye doctor today, and learned something new. My new doctor had a machine for Optomap Retinal Exams from Optos. An exam with this machine can take the place of uncomfortable dilating drops. Of course, being the medically curious person I am, I had to read all about it.

The Optomap, which I had never heard of until today, has been around for several years. Unfortunately, many eye insurance companies don’t cover it, but will cover dilation instead. It cost me $40 to have the Optomap exam done, but some offices may charge less. I decided to go ahead and pay up since I haven’t had my eyes dilated in years, though I did get regular eye exams.

How did the Optomap exam benefit me?

In addition to not having to bother with getting my eyes dilated, I now have a permanent record of the condition of my retinas this year. You don’t get that with the standard exam with dilation. Having an archived record of your retinas can help your doctor compare changes that take place from year to year. Another benefit is that I got to look at the results on a computer with my doctor.

As it turns out, I have a freckle in my right eye. This isn’t anything serious, but something that should be watched. If I have another retinal exam next year, my doctor can see if the freckle has changed.

The exam is quick and painless, though you will see a bright flash when images are taken. There’s no direct contact with your eyes. Ask your doctor if you can receive an Optomap exam without dilating drops. The Optos website notes that you may not need the drops, leading me to believe it’s necessary in some cases.

Optomap can help with identifying certain eye diseases in their early stages. These include:

• Melanomas
• Hypertension
• Age-related macular degeneration
• Retinal detachment
• Glaucoma
• Diabetic retinopathy

To see a retinal exam and resulting images, watch the video below from The Doctors.

(Image via stock.xchng)