Your eye doctor has a variety of diagnostic tools which aid in determining whether or not you have glaucoma -- even before you have any symptoms. Let us explore these tools and what they do.
The Tonometer
The tonometer measures the pressure in your eye. Your doctor places a numbing eye drop in your eye. Then you sit at a slit-lamp, resting your chin and forehead on a support that keeps your head steady. The lamp, which lets your doctor see a magnified view of your eye, is moved forward until the tonometer, a plastic prism, barely touches the cornea to measure your IOP. The test is quick, easy and painless.
The Pachymeter
The pachymeter measures central corneal thickness (CCT). Like the tonometer, your doctor will first anesthetize your eyes. Then a small probe will be placed perpendicular to the central cornea.
CCT is an important measure and helps your doctor interpret your IOP levels. Some people with thin central corneal thickness will have pressures that are actually higher than when measured by tonometry. Likewise, those with thick CCT will have a true IOP that is lower than that measured. Measuring your central corneal thickness is also important since recent studies have found that thin CCT is a strong predictor of developing glaucoma in patients with high IOP.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment