2. OBJECTIVES
List the uses of the slit lamp biomicroscope
Identify the main components of the slit lamp; be able to operate
these components
Discuss and perform a series of basic illumination and
magnification techniques
3. IMPORTANT HISTORICAL
LANDMARK
• De Wecker ,1863, developed a portable
ophthalmomicroscope
• Albert and Greenough ,1891,developed a binocular
microscope which provided stereoscopic view
• Gullstrand,1911, introduced the illumination system which
had for the first time a slit diaphragm in it.
• THEREFORE,
• GULLSTRAND IS CREDITED WITH THE INVENTION OF SLIT
LAMP.
4.
5. Basic Design
Viewing arm
Biomicroscope
Adjustable focus eyepieces
Magnification dial
Illumination arm
The “slit lamp”
Slit size, shape and filter controls
Variable size, shape, colour and brightness
Biomicroscope and illumination are mechanically
coupled around central pivot point (copivotal)
Both focus at the same point (parfocal)
Both arms can swing independently 180º along
horizontal – there is a scale in degrees
Both always central regardless of angle (isocentric)
Moveable base plate and joystick control
6. Slit lamp technique
• Start w/ 10x eyepieces & lower powered objective
• (“1x” or “12” on JMC scopes)
• Use lowest voltage setting on transformer
• ensure open aperture
• Select the longest slit length
• Adjust chin rest
• Pt's eyes approx level w/ marker on head rest
• Slit arm in line w/ microscope
• Lamp height w/ slit beam centered vertically on Pt's
medial canthus
• Focus by moving joystick
7. • Slit width
• Wide- survey globe/cornea
• Narrow- depth, width & position of small abnormalities
• beam as wide as cornea is thick
• forms a parallelepiped volume: a box of illuminated tissue is seen
• Thin (slit)- narrowest beam forms an optical section
• so thin it's just discernible
• valuating small changes in clarity & pinpointing depth of pathology
• Light-source intensity
• Medium to high: most purposes
• High: optical section
• Filters
• neutral, cobalt blue (for fluorescein), red-free
• Magnification
• low power (~10x) is used for survey
• medium to high (16-40x) for optic section & parallelepiped
• high (40x) for specular reflection
• normally, light is focused at same point as microscope (“parfocal”)
8. locking nut: loose for free
movementOcular focus to 0
adjust beam height for tall,
narrow vertical beam
adjust width for narrow beam w/
good illumination
10. • Magnification adjustment can
be found in various locations,
including btwn the eyepieces
• The filter rheostat can be used
to decrease Pt discomfort under
exam w/ the lamp (neutral
density filter)
11. What can we use them for?
On their own
Routine examination of
anterior segment
Adnexa through to anterior
vitreous
Problem-based
examination of anterior
segment
Contact lens examination
Assessment of anterior
chamber depth and angle
With accessories
Gonioscopy
Fundoscopy
Ocular photography
Contact tonometry
(Goldmann)
Pachymetry
Corneal sensitivity
measurements
(aesthiometry)
Laser photocoagulation
13. A good biomicroscope has…
• Adequate working distance between the microscope and the
eye to allow the practitioner to access the eye
• Convenient size for use in practice
• Adaptable to suit different practitioners
• Good resolution
• Good depth of focus
• A wide range of magnifications
14. Magnification
• Slit lamps provide variable magnification
• Lower magnifications are used for general assessment and
orientation
• Higher magnifications are used for detailed inspections of areas of
interest
• There are several ways to do this
• Common methods: Littmann-Galilean telescope and zoom systems
• Less common methods: Change the eyepieces and/or change the
objective lens
15. Littmann-Galilean telescope
method
A separate optical system is placed in between the eyepiece
and the objective
It consists of a rotating drum that house 2 Galilean telescopes
plus a pair of empty slots
Optics refresher: Galilean telescopes consist of a positive and
negative lens that provide magnification based on the lens
powers and their separation
It is easy to identify whether the slit lamp you are using has
this inside
The magnification dial will click into place as you turn it, and
there will be numbers on the dial that correspond to the
magnification in each position
16. A Galilean telescope
Parallel light enters and exits.
Magnification is typically the intended outcome.
However, if you look from the other side, the image will be minified.
17. Two telescopes produce two magnifications
Mag highest when the convex lens is near objective
Reversal of these two telescopes produces two further minifications
No telescope provides 5th
option
18. Zoom systems
• This tends to be found on high-end Nikon, Topcon and Zeiss
instruments
• Magnification can vary between 7x to ~ 40X
• I find that the image quality is not as good with zoom
magnification
19. Change eyepieces or
objective
Eyepieces
Often two sets provided
with slit lamp
Typical values 10x, 12.5x, 15x or 20x
Inconvenient so rarely used
Generally unnecessary on
modern slit lamps
Objective
Flip arrangement for rapid
change
Usually only two options due
to space confinements
Typical values are 1x and 2x
Lever
21. What makes a good slit?
• A good slit needs to be
• Bright
• Evenly illuminated
• Finely focused
• Have well defined, straight edges
• Flexible in terms of size, shape, colour and intensity
• The illumination also needs to
• Provide good colour rendering to detect subtle colour changes
22. Slit width
• Continuously variable (0 to 12-14mm)
• May be graduated to allow
measurement
• Narrow slits are used to “slice”
through the cornea to determine
depth or thickness
• Wide slits are used to inspect surfaces
23. Slit height
May be continuous or set to
fixed heights
Usually a combination of the two
May be graduated to allow for
measurement
Long slits are used to view most
structures in front of the pupil,
while short slits pass through the
pupil much better
Short slit also used to assess the
clarity of the anterior chamber
26. Direct illumination
There are several different forms, named simply by how wide
the slit is
Diffuse (usually not a slit at all)
Wide beam
Parallelepiped
Optical section
CONICAL(pin point)
Tangential
Specular reflection
The slit width will change what you can see
Diffuse/wide beam for an overall view
Wide parallelepiped for broad views of one plane (e.g. Surface of
a structure) and narrow parallelepiped for a balanced view
Optical section to “cut through” a tissue, for thickness and depth
28. Effect of slit width (cornea)
Wide beam: mostly surface Parallelepiped: balance of
surface and depth
Optical section:
mostly depth
29. Why is the angle important
The angle between the microscope and the illumination arms
is important. Wider angles…
Allow view of deeper layers without interference from reflections
from upper layers
The wider the beam, the greater the angle needed to “see
behind the surface layer”
Allows estimation of depth
Allows better perception of texture
Allows direct/indirect/retro simultaneously
You’ll find a graduated scale located at the pivot point of the
two slit lamp arms
It will give you the total separation between the two arms in
degrees
30. Effect of angle (cornea)
45º: balance of
surface and depth
5º: surface only 85º: depth only
31. Wide beam/Diffuse
Used for general inspection
of eye and adnexa
Good for colour
assessment
Contact lens fit
Wide slit, diffusing
inserted, microscope in
front, illumination angle
30–50°, magnification of 6-
10x
Patients are generally unable
to tolerate the brightness of a
wide beam
This eye has iris naevi (freckles)
32. Parallelepiped
• Default method for
corneal inspection
• Shows a block of tissue
in 3-D, so good balance
between surface and
depth inspection
• Beam about 2 mm,
microscope/illumination
, variable angle, medium
to high mag (10-25x)
This is a narrow parallelepiped being
used to view iris and pupillary margin.
The light first passes through the
cornea but is out of focus there.
33. Optical section
Allows judgement of
thickness or depth
Use the narrowest slit
possible (0.1 – 0.2 mm),
angled beam (largest
angle possible), high
illumination, and a dark
room
You need very sharp
focus
34. Direct Focal Illumination -
Conical Beam
Principle
• assessment of particles
floating in the anterior
chamber by illuminating with
a light beam
• Tyndall‘s phenomenon
• pinpoint illumination 0,3 -
0,5mm
Applications
• assessment of particles in
aqueaous humor
• inflammation cells, pigmented
cells, metabolic waste
-34-
35. Types of Illumination
Tangential Illumination
Principle
• a narrow light beam is
projected almost parallel
along the structure to be
observed
• elevated structures are
visible by shadowing
Applications
• elevated abnormities or
changes in the iris
• tumors, cysts -35-
36. Types of Illumination
Specular Illumination
Principle
• angle of incidence = angle
of reflection
• observation and
illumination have same
angle to perpendicular axis
• slit width < 4mm
Applications
• assessment of surfaces
• assessment of tear film
• endothelial cell layer
-36-
0°
α α
37. Types of Illumination
Specular Illumination
endothelial cells
endothelial cell layer magnified ca. 192x
-37-
0°
α α
Bildquelle: Carl Zeiss Meditec
39. Indirect illumination
Lamp
Microscope
An object being viewed is
illuminated indirectly when it lit by
reflections/scatter of light that
occur when the light is shone other
than onto the object itself.
40. Indirect illumination
Good for subtle detail, which would be obscured or washed
out by large amounts of illumination
Light internally reflected within the cornea, or reflected by
other surrounding tissue
Opacities scatter light so they will appear light in colour
They are best viewed against the dark pupil (or dark iris, if your
patient happens to have one)
To achieve the effect, keep the slit width narrow to medium
(2-4 mm), and view with a medium to wide angle.
Magnification will vary depending on the size and extent of the
object, but it’s typically medium to high for subtle defects
41. Retro-illumination
Lamp
Microscope
An object of interest is lit by retro-
illumination when the light source is
directed onto another structure so that
the reflected light must pass through that
object.
42. Retro-illumination
Light may be reflected from 2 main structures:
Iris: this back-lights the cornea
Fundus: this back-lights the lens
Opacities will appear dark against a bright
background
For iris retro-illumination, use a narrow-moderate
width slit, a wide angle of illumination, and
magnification appropriate to the object size/extent
Decoupling may be necessary when the magnification high
For fundus retro-illumination, use a short slit with
narrow-moderate width, narrow angle of
illumination (0-10º), and moderate magnification
43. Marginal retro-illumination
• At the border of the zones illuminated by
indirect and retro, therefore viewing technique
is similar for retro with high mag, decoupling
helps
• Objects of higher refractive index show
“reversed illumination”
• Useful to differentiate microcysts (high refractive
index) from vacuoles (low refractive index)
44. Types of Illumination
Sclerotic Scatters
Principle
• Illumination of the limbus
region with a broad light beam
at an angle of 45° - 60°,
decentered slit
• total reflection of the
incoming light at inner corneal
boundaries (endothelium and
epithelium)
Applications
• scars, foreign bodies, corneal
defects
• irregularities in the cornea
cause straylight
-44-
45. Types of Illumination
Sclerotic Scatters
Principle
• Illumination of the limbus
region with a broad light beam
at an angle of 45° - 60°,
decentered slit
• total reflection of the
incoming light at inner corneal
boundaries (endothelium and
epithelium)
Applications
• scars, foreign bodies, corneal
defects
• irregularities in the cornea
cause straylight
-45-
46. Types of Illumination
Iris-Transillumination
Principle
• transillumination of the iris
by indirect light reflected
from the fundus
• half dilated pupil (3 to
4mm)
• Illumination and
observation at ca. 0°
Applications
• Visualization of defects of
the pigment layer of the iris
-46-
48. EXAMINATION USING
FLUORESCEIN
Examination using
Fluorescein
Principle
• Fluorescein is inserted into the
conjunctival sac and fills, for
example, intracellular spaces
• dye is excited with blue light
(λ 450 ... 500 nm)
• contrast reducing straylight is
blocked with barrier filter
(yellow filter λ > 530 nm)
Applications
• corneal lesions / defects
• contact lens fitting -48-
49. (+) Seidel’s test: ruptured globe“Welder’s keratitis”-- diffuse punctate lesions
of the cornea caused by UV radiation
dendritic appearance of HSV keratitis
linear corneal abrasion