Meet the Slit Lamp.

You should be familiar with the slit lamp. This is the microscope your eye care practitioner uses to assess the overall health and appearance of your eyes. It’s a key piece of equipment during any eye exam.

With dry, sore or irritated eyes we look for a range of things including:

• Your Eyelid Position: if your eyelids roll in our out, or don’t sit in the correct position

• Your Blink: Your blink rate and completeness

• Your Lashes: Where do they sit, do they have debris and what type is it. Is there signs of Demodex Mites? Missing or misdirected lashes can also be a sign of longstanding inflammation

• Any Redness: Redness along the lids or on the eye itself is a sign of inflammation , and the pattern of this redness can point your eye care practitioner to a more accurate diagnosis

• The Quality of your Tears: Do your tears look greasy? Frothy? Thin? Gritty? When the meibomian glands are pushed does anything come out? Is it clear? Cloudy? Creamy?

• The Cornea and Conjunctival Appearance: Are they clear? Are they smooth? Are there folds in the conjunctiva (known as LIPCOF)

This is why your eye care practitioner spends a fair bit of time looking at your eyes with this instrument - it provides us with a lot of information.