Evaluating your eyes for glaucoma involves much more than a simple pressure check; it requires a detailed analysis of your optic nerve structure, fluid drainage angles, and overall visual function.
During your evaluation, our specialists use a combination of painless, state-of-the-art diagnostic tools—ranging from high-resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging to precise visual field mapping—to detect even the most microscopic changes, ensuring we catch the disease early and take immediate action to protect your long-term vision.
This procedure measures the pressure in your eye. During this exam, your eyes are numbed with eye drops. Mr. Golchin uses an instrument called a tonometer to measure eye pressure. The instrument measures how your cornea resists to pressure.
Gonioscopy allows Mr. Golchin to get a clear look at the drainage angle of your eye. Mr. Golchin is not able to see your eyes drainage by looking at the front of your eye, however by using a mirrored lens, he can examine the drainage angle, which is important in determining whether or not you have Glaucoma, as well as what type of Glaucoma you may have.
Your optic nerve is inspecte d for signs of damage using an ophthalmoscope, an instrument that magnifies the interior of the eye. Your pupils will be dilated (widened) with eye drops to allow a better view of your optic nerve to see if it is has been damaged.
The visual field test will check for blank spots in your vision, another sign of Glaucoma. The test is performed using a bowl shaped instrument called perimeter. When taking the test, a patch is temporarily placed on one of your eyes so that only one eye is tested at a time. You will be seated and asked to look straight ahead at a target. The computer makes a noise and random points of light will flash around the bowl shaped periemter and you will be asked to press a button whenever you see a light. Not every noise is followed by a flash of light.
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging test. OCT uses light waves to take cross-section pictures of your retina.
With OCT, your ophthalmologist can see each of the retina’s distinctive layers. This allows your ophthalmologist to map and measure their thickness. These measurements help with diagnosis and treatment guidance for glaucoma. It can also be used to detect other retinal diseases such as ARMD (Age Related Macular Degeneration) and Diabetic Eye Disease.
Because the thickness of the cornea can affect eye pressure readings, pachymetry is used to measure corneal thickness. A probe called a pachymeter is gently placed on the cornea to measure its thickness.
