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Glaucoma Eye Test

(Revised September 2002)

Glaucoma is usually due to increased pressure (tension) within the eyeball. It can seriously decrease your vision if left undetected and untreated. Because its progression is usually painless, early detection is possible only by simple eye tests that should be conducted every five years after reaching the age of 40.

When pressure within the eye increases slowly, the condition is usually painless yet can result in gradual, permanent loss of vision. At first, visual loss involves peripheral (side) vision, but ultimately it involves central vision with attendant loss of the ability to read, drive, and recognize faces. Less commonly, increased eye pressure can be associated with pain and abruptly decreased vision.

The treatment of glaucoma is sophisticated and effective, and there are increasing treatment alternatives that include drugs, lasers, and intraocular surgery. Treatment works by preserving vision and usually does not restore vision that has been lost due to glaucomatous damage.

The best way to detect glaucoma early is by having an eye care professional perform an eye examination. Screening tests for glaucoma include determining the peripheral visual field with a testing machine and measuring the pressure within the eye. Additionally, the appearance of the optic nerve (the main nerve of the eye) should be examined with an ophthalmoscope. Although Healthful Life recommends this examination starting at age 40, others recommend the five-year interval until age 60, and thereafter more frequent screening (every three years). For those with a family history of glaucoma, and for African Americans who are more susceptible to glaucoma, many specialists recommend glaucoma screening every three years from ages 40 to 60, and every two years thereafter.

Anyone with reduced peripheral vision should be under the care of an eye care specialist.

It should also be noted that there are still unanswered questions about just how much benefit there is from early detection before the individual is aware of any eye problems compared to waiting until some visual loss or other symptoms appear, but a new (2002) landmark study suggests that screening for glaucoma, and, where indicated, treatment with eye drops, can prevent more than 50 percent of the glaucoma-related vision loss.