Glaucoma Therapy

Diagnosis and Treatment of Glaucoma

Human vision has various characteristics that on one hand affect the central vision (sharp vision and color vision) and on the other hand, more unconsciously, serves the orientation (visual field, motion perception, spatial resolution).

 

Thus, glaucoma, which has the characteristic visual field deficits and in the worst case leads to blindness, is so dangerous because in this disease, the unconscious vision fails first. When noticeable and appreciable changes to the central vision occur, the disease has already reached a very advanced stage. For this reason, regular screenings are needed for glaucoma prevention. The goal is detection in the early stage.

 

With prompt treatment, an advancement of the disease and, in the end, blindness can be prevented in most cases. The preventative screening, which includes both the pressure measurement and a targeted inspection of the optic nerve with the loupe and a visual field test, should be carried out annually beginning at the age of 40. In our office, we offer two painless supplemental diagnostic methods:

 

Corneal Pachymetry

In the evaluation of the glaucoma risk, the measurement of the intraocular pressure is an important component. The individual corneal thickness, thus significantly affects the measured result. With the pachymetry we offer, we can determine both your corneal thickness and your intraocular pressure precisely and thus give you an exact diagnosis.

 

GDx-Nerve Fiber Analyzer

The characteristic feature of glaucoma is a loss of the nerve fiber tissue in the eye. For preventative monitoring of this extremely thin layer on the ocular fundus, the precise determination of the layer thickness using a laser scanner has proven effective in many glaucoma research centers. This device touches the surface of the ocular fundus with light in the highest resolution, draws comparisons to normal results and prints them in an easy-to-read form. The development of glaucoma can thus be determined years before the occurrence of noticeable trouble or negative effects on vision. Using the automatic comparison of multiple tests, even the smallest changes over the years can be identified. That can be detected in a few seconds, and it is completely painless and can be done without dilating the pupils.

 

Computer Perimetry – The modern visual field test

The measurement of the visual field is also called perimetry and is an important diagnostic tool – not only for glaucoma, but also for other diseases. The computer perimetry we perform uses an optical illusion to test, especially the retinal cells, which are affected particularly early, in a short test time. A short, highly diagnostic test significantly reduces the strain, especially for older patients and those with poor vision, compared to conventional visual field tests.

 

Do you have further questions or would you like a consultation with our specialists? Contact us now!