FORT GIBSON FAMILY EYECARE

You might be surprised at how many tests eye doctors use to diagnose glaucoma. A proper diagnosis requires careful evaluation of many aspects of your eye’s health – from eye pressure to cornea thickness to the health of your optic nerve.

Your eye doctor will begin by assessing your risk level for developing glaucoma. This will help determine the frequency and extent of testing needed. A few risk factors the eye doctor is looking for:
- Over the age of 60
- Ethnic background
- Family history of glaucoma
- History of eye conditions, injuries or surgeries
- Prolonged corticosteroid use
- Chronic conditions that affect blood flow, such as migraines, diabetes, sleep apnea, or hypertension
- Current or former smoker

If you’ve already had a comprehensive eye exam, your eye doctor will also consider these risk factors:
- Eye pressure higher than normal (above 21 mm Hg)
- Thin corneas (less than 0.5 millimeters)
- Farsightedness are at a higher risk for narrow-angle glaucoma, a more serious type that can advance quickly.

Standard Glaucoma Tests
- Intraocular Pressure
Eye pressure is unique to each person, so it’s not always a reliable indicator for glaucoma. It’s simply another piece of information to help your eye doctor assess your eyes. Most glaucoma cases are diagnosed with pressure over 20mmHg. However, some people can have glaucoma at pressures between 12 -22mmHg.
- Ophthalmoscopy
This is an examination of your optic nerve. Based on the results of these tests, your doctor may ask you to have more glaucoma exams.

Supplemental Glaucoma Tests
- Perimetry
Perimetry is a visual field test or an in-depth side vision test. It creates a map of your complete field of vision.
- Gonioscopy
This diagnostic tool shows the doctor if the angle is closed and blocked (a possible sign of angle-closure or acute glaucoma) or wide and open (a possible sign of open-angle, chronic glaucoma).
- Optical coherence tomography (OCT)
A non-invasive imaging technique that can evaluate the optic nerve for structural defects, which is a key factor in diagnosing glaucoma.
- Pachymetry
This measures the thickness of your cornea, the clear window at the front of the eye. Corneal thickness has the potential to influence eye pressure readings.