Diagnosing Glaucoma

What tests help doctors diagnose glaucoma?

Fluctuations in Eye Pressure

In this test, your doctor will measure the intraocular pressure (IOP) within the eye. For most people, eye pressure is higher in the morning and lower during the evening and while sleeping. People with glaucoma may have wider swings in pressure than people who are not diagnosed.

Optic Nerve Head Assessment through Retina Tomograph

Your doctor will use a retina tomograph to direct a single laser beam onto the optic nerve on the back of the retina. The beam scans the optic nerve and information is acquired by a computer for analysis. Through the retina tomograph, your doctor can determine if borderline symptoms and a suspicious-looking optic nerve head are present. This procedure is painless and provides a live image of the eye’s interior.

Diagnostic Evaluation (Gonioscopy)

Gonioscopy evaluates the angle of the eye to differentiate a healthy eye from a glaucoma-prone eye. In the gonioscopy procedure, your doctor will administer an anesthetic eye drop or gel before placing a mirrored lens on the eye. The gonioscopy procedure is available at all Thomas Eye Group locations.

Computer-Assisted Visual Field Examination (Perimetry)

Mapping the visual field is referred to as perimetry. There are two basic methods of perimetry: kinetic and static. In the static method, a source of light is illuminated briefly, and patients are asked if they saw or didn’t see the light. In static threshold perimetry, the light gets more and more intense from dim to bright until it is visible.

Dark Room Proactive Test

In this test, patients are placed in a dark room 1-1.5 hours while their eye pressure is measured regularly.

Thomas Eye Group is proud to offer Glaucoma Services in Atlanta, Hamilton Mill,
Lithonia, Lilburn, Newnan, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Suwanee, and Woodstock.

Thomas Eye Group