otoscope
Overview
- Not to be confused with ophthalmoscope
An otoscope (or auriscope) is a medical device which is used to look into the ears. It is commonly paired with an ophthalmoscope in a doctor's office.
The most commonly used otoscopes consist of a handle and a head. The head contains a light source and a simple low-power magnifying lens. The front end of the otoscope has an attachment for disposable plastic ear covers.
Many otoscopes used in doctors offices are wall-mounted while others are portable. Wall-mounted otoscopes are attached by a flexible power cord to a base, which serves to hold the otoscope when it's not in use and also serves as a source of electric power, being plugged into an electric outlet. Portable models are powered by batteries in the handle; these batteries are usually rechargeable and can be recharged from a base unit. Otoscopes are often sold with ophthalmoscopes as a diagnostic set.
See Also
External Links
- Example image on Wikipedia - In this image, an ophthalmoscope can be seen on the left and an otoscope can be seen on the right
The following tags are aliased to this tag: auriscope (learn more).
This tag implicates medical_instrument (learn more).