If you’re going to the eye doctor, either for a routine exam or an existing issue, you should expect to have photos taken of your eyes.
Those images, after all, are a key part of preventive care. They can help your ophthalmologist look for problems — and, if any are detected, to diagnose an issue and monitor it (or pursue treatment).
The tools offer valuable insight: “This technology can see things that we can’t,” says Timothy Steffens, director of imaging and information systems at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center.
Some methods capture the surface and surrounding areas of the eyes; others go deeper to survey the inside and back of the eye.
Each type of ocular photography is quick and simple. None require special preparation or involve any pain for the recipient, Steffens notes. Patients, he adds, needn’t be scared.