Direct ophthalmoscopy (DO) is an examination technique used to inspect the retina and other structures of a patient ’ s eye. A skilled examiner may perform DO to identify clinical signs in the eye that may signify a sightthreatening disorder such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and neovascular agerelated macular degeneration, or a lifethreatening disorder such as raised intracranial pressure or retinoblastoma/choroidal melanoma (Figure 1 ). These disorders are treatable, so it is important that all clinicians are competent at DO.