Variable retinoscopy

9 November 2012
Volume 13, Issue 4

This article describes how retinoscopy was used initially to detect an anomaly that warranted further investigation of a 6-year-old boy. This was subsequently diagnosed as bilateral macular staphylomas.

Introduction

Retinoscopy is one of the core skills held by an optometrist and as an objective test proves invaluable in situations where communication is difficult or impossible, such as with children, individuals with special needs and non-verbal patients. In addition to measuring the optical power of the eye, the retinoscope can be used to detect opacities and structural abnormalities of the ocular media, including corneal and lenticular aberrations. This article describes how retinoscopy was used initially to detect an anomaly that warranted further investigation of a 6-year-old Caucasian boy. The anomaly was subsequently diagnosed as bilateral macular staphylomas, an outpouching of ocular tissue that can occur anywhere in the eye (Acers 1983, cited in Webber 1992).

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