ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the background of slit lamp and explains the slit-lamp techniques such as diffuse illumination, oblique illumination, direct illumination, retroillumination, sclerotic scatter, indirect illumination, and specular illumination. The slit lamp is the primary instrument of investigation for the Ophthalmologist, and competent use of this piece of equipment will allow thorough and extensive examination of the globe and adnexal structures. The slit lamp is composed of two parts, a biomicroscope of fixed focal length and an illumination column. The examiner should set their own inter-pupillary distance and eyepiece focus so as to obtain a crisp single image through the binocular biomicroscope. The orientation of illumination, and the breadth and length of the beam as well as filters, are controlled on the illumination arm. The coincident but unaligned viewing and illumination components of the slit lamp allow for various examination and illumination techniques.
