Visual fieldPerimetry
Maps the limits of your side vision. It is the core test for detecting glaucoma and following it over the years.
Ophthalmology investigations specialist
The eye has layers.My work is reading them.
Ophthalmologist and Fellow of the International Council of Ophthalmology. My sub-specialty is the diagnostic side of eye care — OCT, visual field, Pentacam, biometry — running those scans, reading them, and reporting them.
Diagnostic investigations
These scans show what an ordinary examination cannot reach, and they often find disease before you feel a single symptom. This is what I do every day.
The core scan
Optical coherence tomography (OCT)
A light-based cross-section that shows the layers of your retina and optic nerve down to the micron — finer than any examination can see directly. It catches glaucoma early, before your sight is affected; it measures swelling at the centre of vision; and it tracks what diabetes is doing to the retina.
What the scan is like
Nothing touches your eye. No injection, no pain. You sit at the machine for a few minutes and look at a target light, then we read the result together.
Corneal tomographyPentacam
A full map of the cornea — its surface, thickness and curvature. Essential before laser vision correction, and for diagnosing and following keratoconus.
BiometryIOL Master
Precise measurement of the eye to choose the right lens power before cataract surgery.
Fluorescein angiographyFFA
Dye imaging of the retinal blood vessels, to locate leakage and blockage exactly before deciding treatment.
Ocular ultrasoundA & B Scan
Sound imaging of the inside of the eye when a dense cataract or a bleed blocks the view to the retina.
Interpretation and reporting
Reading your scans and writing a clear medical report — whether the scan was done here or you arrive with a result from elsewhere.
For patients with diabetes
Diabetic Eye Programs
Diabetes can harm the retina for years before you notice anything. The early complications are silent — and they are exactly what an eye investigation is built to find.
Swelling at the centre of vision, diabetic macular edema, is often first found on a routine scan, while sight still feels normal. Found at that point, it can be treated and managed before it costs you vision.
Each program brings the examination and the scans a diabetic eye needs together in one visit. The Advanced program looks further — at the optic nerve, and out to the edges of the retina — for eyes at higher risk.
Every six months
Twice a year, even when your vision feels fine.
Standard Screening
2,600 EGP
- Clinical examinationYour diabetes history, your vision, eye pressure and the retina.
- RefractionYour exact prescription — blood sugar can shift it.
- Slit-lamp examinationThe front of the eye under magnification. Diabetes affects the cornea and brings cataract on earlier.
- OCT of the maculaA micron-level cross-section of the retina that shows swelling before it blurs your vision.
Advanced Screening
5,200 EGP
Recommended for long-standing, poorly controlled diabetes, and for type 1 diabetes.
- Everything in Standard ScreeningThe clinical examination, refraction, slit-lamp examination and OCT of the macula.
- OCT of the optic nerveA cross-section of the optic nerve and the nerve fibres around it. It finds glaucoma early, and glaucoma is more common with diabetes.
- Wide-field fundus photographyA photograph of the retina out to its far edges, beyond a standard view. Some diabetic changes begin there, and the photograph is a record to compare at your next visit.
Why screening matters
The same retina, with and without screening
Drag across the picture. On one side, a healthy retina, its vessels clear and even out to the edges. On the other, what diabetes can do to it over years without screening or treatment.
What the untreated side shows
- HemorrhagesWeakened small vessels leak and bleed into the retina — the red dots and blots scattered across it.
- Hard exudates and macular edemaYellow deposits of fat and protein leaked from the vessels. Gathered around the macula, they come with swelling at the centre of vision.
- Cotton-wool spotsPale, fluffy patches where small vessels have closed and the retina is starved of oxygen.
- Beaded veinsVeins that widen and narrow like a string of beads, a sign of a retina short of oxygen.
- New vesselsFragile vessels the starved retina grows on the optic nerve and along the main vessels. They bleed easily, and the scar tissue they form can pull the retina away.
Each of these can be found at a screening visit, often while vision still feels normal, and while treatment can still protect sight.
Comprehensive eye checkup
A full examination is where everything starts, whether you come with a specific complaint or for a routine check.
- RefractionYour exact glasses or contact lens prescription.
- Slit-lamp examinationThe lids, cornea, lens and the front of the eye under magnification.
- Fundus examinationThe retina, optic nerve and blood vessels.
- Eye pressureThe first step in detecting glaucoma.
Your visit, step by step
So you know what to expect, and how much time to set aside.
Check-in and history
We talk through your complaint, your medication, and any general conditions such as diabetes or blood pressure.
Vision and pressure
The baseline measurements the rest of the examination is built on.
Slit-lamp examination
A close look at the front of the eye.
Dilating drops, if needed
You may need drops to widen the pupil so I can see the whole retina. Vision then stays blurred and light-sensitive for four to six hours — arrange not to drive yourself that day.
The investigations
Whatever scans your examination calls for.
Reading the result with you
We look at the images together, and you leave with a written report and a clear plan.
About
Dr. Reem AshrafOphthalmology Investigations and Medical Retina Specialist
Dr. Reem graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at Ain Shams University, Very Good with Honours, and went on to a Master of Science in Ophthalmology at Al-Azhar University. Her thesis was on the corneal changes that come with diabetes.
She then completed the International Council of Ophthalmology examinations — Basic Science and Optics, then Clinical Ophthalmology, then the Advanced Examination — and was awarded the Council Fellowship (FICO) in March 2021.
Since 2021 she has worked as Ophthalmology Investigations Specialist at Maadi Eye Specialized Center, after a year as an investigations fellow at Almashreq Specialized Hospital. Her days are spent running these scans, reading them and reporting them — and the diabetic eye has stayed her closest subject since that thesis.
Qualifications
- Fellowship of the International Council of Ophthalmology (FICO)2021
- Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (MRCSEd)2021
- ICO Advanced Examination2021
- ICO Clinical Ophthalmology Examination2020
- ICO Basic Science and Optics Examination2016
- MSc Ophthalmology — Al-Azhar University2020
- MBBS — Ain Shams University
Clinics
Two locations, both by appointment.
Maadi
By appointment
New Cairo
By appointment
Frequently asked questions
General answers to what patients ask most. They are here to explain, not to diagnose — your own eyes need an examination.
How often should I have my eyes examined?
With no symptoms, a full examination every one to two years suits most adults, and a baseline examination at forty matters, because glaucoma and cataract become more common from then on. Children should have their vision checked before starting school. Diabetes, high blood pressure or a family history of glaucoma usually call for more frequent checks.
I have diabetes but my vision is fine. Do I still need eye checks?
Yes. Diabetes damages the small blood vessels of the retina, and the early changes — including swelling at the centre of vision — cause no symptoms at all. By the time vision blurs, the damage is further along. Everyone with diabetes needs a retinal examination at least once a year; both Diabetic Eye Programs run every six months and include an OCT scan.
What is glaucoma, and why is it called silent?
Glaucoma is damage to the optic nerve, usually linked to the pressure inside the eye. The common form causes no pain and takes side vision first, so most people notice nothing until much is lost — and vision lost to glaucoma does not come back. Being over forty, a family history and high short-sightedness raise the risk. Eye pressure, an OCT of the optic nerve and a visual field test find it early, when treatment can slow or stop it.
Is an OCT scan safe? Does it hurt?
It is safe and painless. OCT uses light, not radiation, and nothing touches the eye. You look at a target for a few minutes while the machine scans, and it can be repeated as often as follow-up needs.
What is keratoconus, and why is a Pentacam done before laser vision correction?
In keratoconus the cornea thins and bulges into a cone, blurring and distorting vision. It usually begins in the teens or twenties, and eye rubbing and allergy are linked to it; a prescription that keeps changing, especially rising astigmatism, is a warning sign. Laser correction on a keratoconic cornea can make it worse, so a Pentacam map is taken first to rule it out. Found early, treatment can stop it progressing.
What is a cataract, and why is the eye measured before surgery?
A cataract is clouding of the eye’s natural lens. It comes mostly with age, though diabetes, steroid medicines and injury bring it on earlier. Vision turns hazy, colours fade and glare at night gets worse. When it interferes with daily life, surgery replaces the cloudy lens with a clear artificial one — and biometry measures the eye beforehand to choose that lens’s power, which decides how well you see afterwards.
Which eye symptoms need urgent attention?
See an ophthalmologist the same day for sudden loss or dimming of vision, even if it recovers; a sudden shower of floaters or flashes of light; a shadow or curtain across part of your vision; a painful red eye, especially with blurred vision, headache or nausea; or any injury to the eye. After a chemical splash, rinse the eye with plenty of clean water first, then come in.
Why are dilating drops used, and can I drive afterwards?
An undilated pupil shows only a small part of the retina. The drops widen it so the whole retina, out to its edges, can be examined — essential in diabetes, after flashes or floaters, and in short-sighted eyes. Vision stays blurred and light-sensitive for four to six hours, so bring sunglasses and arrange not to drive yourself.
Do screens damage my eyes?
Screens do not damage the eye, but long sessions reduce blinking, which leaves the eyes dry, tired and strained. Every twenty minutes, look at something about six metres away for twenty seconds. In children, more time outdoors is linked to slower progression of short-sightedness.