Abstract

A screening test recommended for use by primary care providers to detect the presence of strabismus (ocular misalignment) is the red reflex, or Brückner, test.^1,2 In this test, a bright, nearly coaxial light source such as a direct ophthalmoscope is used to illuminate both eyes of the subject from a distance of about one meter. The examiner compares the relative brightness of the two red fundus reflexes for evidence of asymmetry. If the subject is fixing on the light, any asymmetry of the pupil brightness indicates the presence of a potentially amblyopiagenic factor (cataract, anisometropia, or strabismus). For anisometropia or strabismus, the brighter reflex is said to indicate the problematic eye.

© 1995 Optical Society of America