A lighted instrument, one of the most important tools of the physician, used to examine the interior of the eye, including the lens, retina and optic nerve.
The common clinical ophthalmoscope consists of a concave mirror and a battery-powered light (contained within the handle). The operator looks through a single monocular eyepiece into the patient's eye. The ophthalmoscope is equipped with a rotating disc of lenses to permit the eye be examined at different depths and magnifications. This may be enhanced by drugs that dilate the pupil and enlarge the opening into the structures within the eye.