Optos Retinal Scan

Without dilating drops, the Optomap will show roughly 85% of the retina in a single image. It is very useful for screening for retinal disease and often will eliminate the need for dilation.

The founder of Optos developed the retinal scanner after his son developed a retinal detachment that wasn't discovered by a conventional dilated examination at the eye doctor. Without dilating drops, the Optomap will show roughly 85% of the retina in a single image. It is very useful for screening for retinal disease and often will eliminate the need for dilation. Dilating allows us to see a little more of the retina and is necessary some of the time, but isn't without it's problems. It is inconvenient being so light sensitive and not being able to read for several hours. More importantly, it can make driving, even walking dangerous. Like all medical decisions, optometrists and ophthalmologists need to weigh the risk of missing something important versus the possibility of causing a problem in order to look. The Optos seems to be a very useful compromise.