I went for my yearly diabetic retinopathy exam at an ophthalmology clinic in one of our hospitals last week (no problems - just a yearly “thing” my doctor recommended a few years ago).
The most involved procedure in that exam is getting a large number of pictures taken of my retinas. The ones for my left eye seemed OK (at least, the person doing it didn’t appear concerned). She had some difficulties getting satisfactory pics of my right retina, and said that it was because I have “dry eye” (note that my eyes were checked before the pics were taken for my basic eyeglass prescription as well as glaucoma and my eyeglass prescription wasn’t significantly different from last time).
After that long intro - I understand what “dry eye” is, but how would it affect getting good retinal pictures?
Sure. Ocular surface issues (dry eye, corneal edema, or even excess tearing) can affect retinal photo quality. More commonly, ocular media issues, such as corneal or vitreous opacities or cataracts, will generally have more of a deleterious effect on photo quality.
Essentially, light in = light out. You need a smooth refractive surface to create a clear image on the retina, and likewise to create a clear image of the retina. The tear film is an important component of the refractive system of the eye.
- I understand what “dry eye” is, but how would it affect getting good retinal pictures?