Optomap Retinal Exam

Most people have probably heard the saying “the eyes are the window to the soul”. Here at Bensenville Eye Care, we say “the eyes are the window to your health”. We often hear things like “Oh, I don’t think I need my eyes dilated since I had that done a few years ago and everything was fine.” We think it is important to take a peek inside of your eyes every year. Aside from the typical eye problems we can see such as glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration, we can also see if diabetes or elevated blood pressure is damaging your blood vessels, we can tell if your retina has torn or detached, we can even tell if the pressure inside your brain is too high, all from looking through your tiny pupil!

At Bensenville Eye Care, we pride ourselves on providing our patients with a superior standard of care. In addition to a dilated eye exam every 1-3 years, we recommend the Optomap Retinal Exam for all of our patients. This non-invasive procedure allows your doctor to see a more detailed, under the surface view of the retina than is possible with conventional methods of viewing or imaging. Specifically, this technology allows visualization of metabolic changes in the retina and helps to identify areas that may be at high risk for the development of eye diseases. Annual eye exams that include looking at the retina are vital to maintaining your vision and overall eye health and these images are useful for early detection of eye diseases such as macular degeneration, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, tumors, etc. Having a baseline Optomap retinal exam enables your doctor to make important comparisons should potential vision-threatening conditions show themselves at a future examination.

While Optomap imaging does not replace a dilated eye exam, it does give your doctor different and important information about your eye health. Your doctor strongly believes that the Optomap Retinal Exam is an essential part of your comprehensive eye exam and prescribes it every 1-3 years after a baseline image is established.