How is Glaucoma Diagnosed?

The diagnosis of this condition can only be made by ophthalmologists. Especially in the most common type of glaucoma called chronic open-angle glaucoma, if the intraocular pressure is not at very high levels, the disease progresses insidiously without giving any obvious symptoms. Glaucoma is mostly diagnosed by chance during an examination in patients who consult a doctor for another reason, often for a routine glasses examination or simple reasons. Therefore, measuring eye pressure during an eye examination should not be neglected.

Only ophthalmologists can provide the treatment for this disease. Eye pressure is measured with devices called tonometers, the optic nerve is examined during a fundus examination, and if necessary, tests for glaucoma are performed. Tests are performed on patients deemed necessary by the ophthalmologist. Additionally, in some patients, it presents with a noisy clinical picture called an acute glaucoma crisis, which occurs with a sudden rise in intraocular pressure to very high levels, severe eye pain, headache, a very red eye, nausea, and vomiting. In this case, the diagnosis is very easy and requires emergency treatment.

The best method for detecting glaucoma is to go for regular eye examinations. The ophthalmologist performs the following examinations and tests to detect this disease. In the diagnosis of glaucoma, eye pressure values and examination findings are not enough on their own; tests evaluating the optic nerve functions and anatomical structure are especially important in early diagnosis:

Measuring eye pressure (Eye Pressure): Today, there are two most commonly used methods. In one of them, the eye is numbed with drops and the instrument touches the eye. In the other, since the measurement is done with air, nothing is dropped into the eye.

Examining the drainage angle of the eye: It is applied if suspicion is aroused by other methods.

Examination of the optic nerve (Ophthalmoscopy): Optic nerves are examined by performing a fundus examination. Cupping in the optic nerve caused by the high intraocular pressure is observed. Normal Optic Nerve Cupping in the Optic Nerve in Patients with Glaucoma

Visual Field: It functionally shows optic nerve damage. Today, the computerized one is generally preferred. In this method, the chin is placed in front of a hemispherical device. The patient is asked to press a button as they see the light. At the end of the test, the computer prints out the visual field on paper. By evaluating the optic nerve functions, visual field defects indicating destruction in the optic nerve are detected. Normal Visual Fields Visual Field Damages Due to Glaucoma

Examination of the Optic Nerve Head and Nerve Fibers: The presence and degree of optic nerve damage are determined by various methods such as NFA, OCT. Nerve Fiber Analysis Test (NFA: Nerve Fiber Analyzer). With this test, nerve fiber thicknesses are measured. In glaucoma disease, thinning in nerve fiber thicknesses is detected.

Optical Coherence Tomography: Evaluating the Optic Nerve Head With this test, the cupping observed in the optic nerve head in Glaucoma Disease is examined.

Corneal thickness is measured for the diagnosis of glaucoma disease.

Follow-up in Glaucoma Disease Patients with glaucoma are monitored by evaluating the intraocular pressure level, the condition of the optic nerve, and the visual field together, and the decision for medication treatment or surgery is made by looking at these findings again. Remember that; anyone can have glaucoma. The only way to prevent vision loss due to glaucoma is early diagnosis. Therefore, it is important to have eye examinations at regular intervals.