Lupus Site - a guide for lupus patients and their families

The test looks for abnormalities of the eyelids, sclera, lens, conjunctiva, iris, and cornea.
It can be used to help diagnose Sjogren's Syndrome.

You rest your chin & forehead on a support, & your eye is examined through the biomicroscope.
A fine strip of paper that is stained with an orange colored dye (fluorescein) is touched to the side of your eye.
The dye helps with the examination by staining the front part of your eye.
Then, drops which dilate your pupils are put in the eye.
These drops take 15 to 20 minutes to work. The examination with the biomicroscope is then repeated.

The drops may cause some discomfort, and your eyes will be more sensitive to light for around 4 hours afterwards.

Abnormal results may indicate general vision problems, corneal ulcers and infections or degeneration, an alteration in the shape of the cornea (farsightedness, nearsightedness), diseases of the retina, glaucoma (increase in eye pressure), cataracts, ocular inflammation (uveitis), and diseases that attack the nerves in the eyes.