Diagnosis of Glaucoma
The key to effective treatment of glaucoma or any disease
lies in an accurate diagnosis. Diagnosis means finding a descriptive label
for a problem, so that appropriate measures can be taken to solve the problem.
As your glaucoma specialist begins to label “glaucoma”, it is important
to consider the signs, which are things the doctor looks for, and symptoms,
which are things which a patient notices.
Some of the signs, which the glaucoma specialist will consider,
are intraocular pressure, visual field, and the condition of the optic nerve.
A variety of possible symptoms which will also be considered are decreased
ability to see objects which are not straight ahead, decreased ability to
see color or perceive motion, etc.
Intraocular Pressure
In the past, glaucoma was defined only by intraocular pressure
above 21 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury, units in which pressure is measured).
But that method alone misses those glaucoma patients who still have optic
nerve damage with relatively low pressures, and alarms those patients who
have higher pressures, but may not experience any eye damage. Intraocular
pressure is one essential factor to determine glaucoma, but must be considered
in combination with other factors.
Visual Field
Another critical factor is a patient’s visual field results.
Visual field tests help the specialist map out where a patient can actually
see, Figure 1. These tests determine which areas of vision show reduced vision
and will help detect glaucoma as well as other vision problems.
Optic Nerve Damage
Glaucoma can damage tissues in the eye including the cornea,
the iris, the lens, the retina, and most importantly, the optic nerve. One
of the signs of damage to the optic nerve is a bowl-shaped depression, which
is called “cupping.”
This cupping can be detected by the ophthalmologist when looking
into the eye; Figure 2 and Figure 3. A few people will have a cup-shaped
optic nerve and not necessarily have glaucoma. However, cupping of the optic
nerve is one very important sign of the presence of glaucoma. Generally,
the larger the cupping, the greater the likelihood of glaucoma.
Symptoms
Signs like high pressures, reduced visual field results, and
cupping of the optic nerve alert the ophthalmologist to the possibility of
glaucoma. Symptoms are also important, because the patient begins to notice
changes which are affecting their vision and lifestyle.
Symptoms to consider may include the following:
- Headaches when reading or going into dark places.
- Blurred vision and eye aches after vigorous exercise.
- Poor color perception and trouble seeing at night.
- Awareness that parts of objects or beginnings of words may be missing.
- A general feeling that vision has deteriorated.
Perhaps a patient may not have glaucoma and experience one
or more of these symptoms, but all these symptoms require an explanation.
Only a trained professional can determine if your vision changes only require
a new glasses prescription, or whether there is something more serious to
consider such as glaucoma.
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Quick Links
Click the links below to learn more about some of the conditions
Green Bay Eye Clinic physicians specialize in.
Cataracts
Blepharoplasty
Glaucoma
Extraocular Muscles
Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP)
Retinal Detachment
Ocular Histoplasmosis
If there is a condition not listed here that you would like
to be consulted about, contact us. |
