Ultrasonography

Ultrasonography uses harmless sound waves to form a picture of the tissues within the eye. It is a helpful test to see inside the eye when the cornea, lens, or vitreous is cloudy and the doctor s view is blocked or light is prevented from passing through the eye. Some specific conditions that can be evaluated include a retinal detachment, ocular bleeding, intraocular tumors, corneal scarring, papillary membranes, cataract, vitreous hemorrhage or inflammatory debris. It is also of significance in severe ocular trauma to identify the amount of damage, as well as identifying foreign bodies, periorbital masses (including a variety of soft-tissue tumors), metastases to the orbit and masses from adjacent structures (paranasal sinuses, cavernous sinuses and cranium). It can also be used to measure the extraocular muscle size in a patient with thyroid disease. There are two specific types of ultrasound used with the eye, known as an A and B scan.