GLAUCOMA SCREENING

There’s no simple screening test for glaucoma. Glaucoma NZ recommends the “45 + 5 glaucoma eye examination”. People who have no symptoms of eye problems should have an examination for glaucoma by the time they are 45. 

The emphasis is on detecting the risk factors for glaucoma and assessing the optic disc to decide the possibility of early glaucoma being present. If the examination is normal we recommend it be repeated every 5 years. Those with risk factors for glaucoma (such as a family history of glaucoma or steroid use) should be examined earlier, and more frequently. 

So what should you expect at a routine glaucoma eye examination?

Three essential elements of a glaucoma eye examination are:

• Measuring eye pressure

• Examining the optic disc

• Visual fields testing

 
However, there are several other kinds of investigations that you may experience, including photography, gonioscopy (when the angle of your eye is measured), scanning of the optic disc and nerve fibre layer, and measuring of central corneal thickness. 

Not sure what to expect?