Ophthalmic Photography

What is an Ophthalmic Photographer at UVA Department of Ophthalmology?

Ophthalmic Photographers are trained Ophthalmic Medical Personnel in Ophthalmic Medical Technology and have also received additional formal and informal specialized training to perform a variety of ophthalmic photography imaging and other diagnostic tests. Ophthalmic Photographers assist Ophthalmology Department Physicians, and other Medical Personnel to evaluate Eye Clinic patients. In addition to their routine and primary duties, they participate in various ophthalmology researches and studies, e.g., Diabetes related retinal diseases.  

Primary Functions of Ophthalmic Photographers:  

  • Performs Digital and Film Color Fundus Photography
  • Performs External Photography (still and video)
  • Performs Angiograms-Intravenous Fluorescein
    Angiography (IVFA) and Indocyanine Green (ICG)
  • Performs Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)
  • Photo and Image Database anagement; processing,
    transfer modalities and interfaces, and archival

Secondary Job Functions:

  • Provide Training and Orientations to Ophthalmologists, Ophthalmology Fellows, Ophthalmology Residents, and Ophthalmic Technicians
  • Perform various study protocol digital and film photography and imaging

Photography Diagnostic Equipment:

Trained Ophthalmic Photographers use several Ophthalmic Photography and Imaging equipment to perform the above patient diagnostic and care functions. Photography equipment inventory at UVA includes but is not limited to the latest top of the line Fundus Cameras, OCTs, Biomicroscope Slit lamp Cameras, Digital SLR External Cameras, Video cameras, and SL-OCT. All UVA patient capture stations use state-of-the-art digitally networked equipment with remote access and processing of patient photo data on all viewing stations and exam rooms.

Vocabularly:

  • A fundus camera or retinal camera is a specialized low power microscope with an attached 35mm camera or digital camera designed to capture photographs of the inner lining of the eye comprizing the retina, optic disc, macula, and the posterior pole of the eye. A fundus camera allows photographers to illustrate different anatomical features of any given study such as macular degeneration and optic dystrophies.
  • Color Fundus Photography - This is where the retina (inner lining of the back of the eye) is illuminated by white light and examined in full color (real time/life).
  • Black and White-Red-free photography - This is when illuminating light from the camera is filtered in the light delivery system to remove red colors, in order to improve the contrast of vessels and other other anatomical structures and features.
  • Angiography - Retinal and choroidal blood vessels are brought into high contrast by intravenous injection of a contrast dye called sodium fluorescein. The retina is illuminated with an excitation color which fluoresces light of another color where the dye is present. By filtering to exclude the excitation color and pass the fluorescent color, a very high-contrast image of the vessels is produced.
  • Fluorescein Phases - This carefully orchestrated process of shooting a timed sequence of photographs of the progression of the dye into the vessels reveals the flow dynamics and related pathologies. This is done through two main angiogram types: Fluorescein Angiography (FA) and Indocyanine Green (ICG) 
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