Some have already dealt with this examination, others do not even have a clue what a “fundus” means. Simple, painless, this technique, also called “ophthalmoscopy”, is an examination which consists, using a device, in very fine observation of the macula (central area of the retina, responsible for precise vision), as well as the papilla (the head of the optic nerve).
It is performed with or without dilation of the pupil, depending on the situations and history of the patients, but the dilation allows the entire retina to be explored. Contrary to popular belief, the fundus is not carried out only on patients of a certain age. It even makes it possible to detect, or to follow, many diseases.
Glaucoma, AMD, and especially diabetic retinopathy
“We can detect or follow glaucoma by looking at the state of the optic nerve,” explains Doctor Damien Gatinel, ophthalmic surgeon and head of department at the Rotschild Foundation, in Paris. But that’s not all. The fundus also allows “to diagnose AMD (age-related macular degeneration, Editor’s note), or in the context of diabetes monitoring, but also in the context of high blood pressure”. Indeed, the retina being a strongly vascularized tissue, “it is a unique window which is offered to the doctor and ophthalmologist to judge the state of the microcirculation”.
The examination is particularly useful in the case of diabetic retinopathy, which involves damage to the retina. It is a serious complication of diabetes which affects 50% of type 2 diabetic patients, according to the French Federation of Diabetics.
While diabetes is responsible for 12% of all blindness in Western countries, it is imperative for diabetics to have regular ophthalmological monitoring, at least once a year. Indeed, if certain vision disorders can indicate the presence of a diabetic retinopathy (distorted letters when reading, difficulties in passing from light to dark), the disease often sets in without giving warning signs . Unfortunately, we can therefore suffer from retinopathy even with good eyesight, and in the absence of symptoms.
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