How Is Glaucoma Detected?

In its early stages, glaucoma usually has no symptoms. Regular and complete eye exams are the best way to detect glaucoma. The tests for glaucoma are generally simple and comfortable. But only your eye doctor can diagnose and treat glaucoma.

How often to visit your eye doctor

It is important to visit your eye doctor regularly. A good rule is to have complete eye exams every 2 to 4 years if you are between 45 and 65 years old, and every 1 to 2 years if you are over 65. If you have risk factors for glaucoma, you should have exams more often. Ask your doctor at your next visit.

Screening tests for glaucoma

There are a number of simple tests that your doctor may use to test for glaucoma. Not only will your doctor check for actual vision loss, but also for damage to the optic nerve, high eye pressure, and a thin cornea. These are all indications that you may have glaucoma or be at risk for glaucoma. Here are some of the tests your doctor may perform:

• Eye Pressure Measurement (Tonometry) This test is important because eye pressure may affect the course of glaucoma more than anything else. So, eye pressure must be measured accurately. Your doctor can measure your pressure 2 ways. One way is to numb your eye and use a tonometer. The other way is to blow a small puff of air onto your eye. Your eye is not numbed for this test
• Slit-lamp Exam Slit-lamp exams are very important. A slit-lamp helps your doctor evaluate the inside and outside of your eyes. During this exam, you will place your head on a chinrest so your doctor can see a magnified view of your eye
• Gonioscopy (GOH-nee-OS-koh-pee) Gonioscopy is used to detect which type of glaucoma you may have. Once the surface of the eye has been numbed with eyedrops, your doctor will place a special contact lens on your eye. This special lens will allow your doctor to look at the eye's drainage system
• Optic Nerve Exam Glaucoma damages the optic nerve, but the damage doesn't hurt and is hard to detect. Your doctor must carefully look at, or even photograph, the optic nerve at the back of the eye to detect injury. Eyedrops are used to widen the pupil. This gives your eye doctor a better view of the optic nerve
• Pachymetry (puh-KIM-uh-tree) This test measures the thickness of your cornea. To measure your corneal thickness your eyes will be numbed
• Visual Field Exam Your visual field is the entire area you can see while looking at a fixed point. For example, while watching a stoplight, you might notice a car pulling up beside you in the next lane. The visual field is large when both eyes are working properly. With glaucoma, the visual field often shrinks. During the visual field exam, you will be asked to look straight ahead and press a button when you see a flash of light. This helps your eye doctor draw a map of your vision