Glaucoma Diagnosis…..Pieces of a Puzzle

Did you know that diagnosing glaucoma is more than just checking your eye pressure?  Did you know that even if your eye pressure is “normal” that you can have a condition called “low tension” glaucoma?  There are many factors that must be examined to determine if a patient has glaucoma.  And there are many types of glaucoma. 

First, what is glaucoma?  Glaucoma is an eye disease that causes the optic nerve to atrophy due to lack of oxygen.  Most patients don’t even know they have glaucoma until significant damage has occurred. 

The types of glaucoma include:  primary open angle, narrow angle, low tension, secondary inflammatory, angle recession, pigmentary, post operative, and more.  When you present for a comprehensive examination, I am going through a process to rule out all of these (in addition to other disease diagnoses).  Checking your eye pressure is only one piece of the puzzle for glaucoma diagnosis. 

During your eye exam, I am looking at the anatomy of the front part of the eye to determine if the fluid drainage angle is narrow or open, checking the pressure inside the eye.  Once the pupils are dilated, I can get a 3-D view of the optic nerve and retina.  A careful 3-D view of the optic nerve is critical in the diagnosis of glaucoma. 

If I detect some or all parts of the examination are abnormal, I will use an instrument to scan the optic nerve to determine if any damage has occurred.  In addition, I use another instrument to perform a peripheral vision test to determine if part of the visual field has been compromised. 

There are many treatment options for glaucoma to prevent patients from losing their eyesight.  Call our office to schedule your appointment for a comprehensive eye examination.  Let’s keep your eyes healthy!

Dr. Sarah C. Gordon, Gordon Eye Care, P.C.  205-855-2020