Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in Canada. At our Calgary eye clinic, our highly qualified optometrists offer comprehensive glaucoma testing services to diagnose and manage this condition before any vision loss occurs.
Glaucoma is a complicated eye disease in which damage to the optic nerve results in vision loss. Unfortunately, many glaucoma cases occur without noticeable symptoms in the early stages.
However, the presence of the following warning signs may indicate that you require a comprehensive eye exam from your eye doctor:
- Double vision
- Dark spot at the centre of viewing
- Seeing spots or ghost-like images
- Watery eyes or excess tearing
- Dry eyes with itching and burning
- Difficulty focusing on near or distant objects
- Sudden loss of vision in one eye
- Sudden hazy or blurred vision
- Flashes of light or black spots
- Halos or rainbows around lights
Our Calgary Optometrists Provide Comprehensive Glaucoma Testing
At our Calgary eye clinic in Sunridge Mall, our eye doctors understand just how important clear and healthy vision is for your quality of life. Our optometrists offer a wide range of services including eye emergency care, glaucoma testing, dry eye care, and more to help protect the long-term health of your eyes and the quality of your vision.
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Glaucoma Testing: What You Need to Know
Early detection through regular and comprehensive eye exams is key to protecting your vision from the damage caused by glaucoma. Here are some of the major tests you can expect from your glaucoma testing appointment:
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Visual field exam. This test looks for any missing areas of vision. You will be shown a sequence of light spots and asked which ones you can see. If you cannot see the spots in your peripheral vision, it may indicate that glaucoma has damaged some of your vision.
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Eye pressure test. This is a key part of glaucoma testing and your optometrist will use an instrument called a tonometer to measure your eye pressure. High eye pressure can indicate that you have glaucoma or are at an increased risk of developing it.
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Gonioscopy. Your optometrist will also examine the front outer edge of your eye, between the cornea and iris. This is where the fluid drains from your eye. A glaucoma test will determine if that area is blocked, as this can affect the pressure in your eye.
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Optic nerve assessment. Glaucoma can damage your optic nerve, so this is an important part of testing. For this test, eye drops will be used to enlarge your pupils. Your eye doctor will then examine your eyes with a slit lamp to assess your optic nerve.
Who Should Get Tested For Glaucoma?
At our Calgary eye clinic, our optometrists advise that you have an eye exam at least every two years. However, if you are at an increased risk of developing glaucoma, you may be advised to come in more frequently.
Patients who are advised to have more frequent glaucoma tests are those who:
- Are over the age of 60
- Smoke
- Have health conditions such as heart disease or diabetes
- Have a family history of glaucoma
- Have experienced an eye injury
- Have high internal eye pressure
It is very important to have regular eye exams so that conditions such as glaucoma can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible. Early treatment can help stop your vision from becoming severely affected.
Contact Us
To find out more about our comprehensive glaucoma testing, and how our highly qualified eye doctors can help protect your eye health and preserve your vision, give us a call at 403-280-7518 or fill in our online contact form.
