What is Glaucoma?

Of the three million Americans who currently have glaucoma, only about half are aware of it. And although glaucoma cannot be cured, it can be controlled, and the risk of profound vision loss is reduced if it is detected early.

Patients often don't realize they have glaucoma until they visit their ophthalmologist for an unrelated reason. This is because glaucoma is gradual and painless as it destroys the peripheral vision. Not until central vision (used for reading) is affected will a patient notice a visual problem. Glaucoma is a disease that affects the optic nerve in the back of the eye and destroys nerve cells needed for vision.

The most common treatments for glaucoma include eye drops, laser surgery, and glaucoma surgery.

The Thief of Sight, Not So Sneaky Anymore

Glaucoma may no longer be such an elusive disease thanks to a new glaucoma diagnosis system, the GDx ®, that can actually detect glaucoma before there is any vision loss or increased pressure in the eye. Complete Eye Care was the first private practice in Michigan to offer this type of advanced technology to patients.

Images show test results format

An exam with the revolutionary GDx takes less than five minutes and is completely painless. No pupil dilation is necessary, and the machine never touches the eye. A safe, invisible laser scans the back of the eye to analyze the nerve fibers and transmits an image in less than one second.

The doctor then reads this image and is instantly able to tell if there are the beginning signs of glaucoma. These images can then be saved on the computer to document future changes.

The traditional tests for glaucoma have a limit to their effectiveness. For example, the tonometry test that measures pressure in the eye is ineffective in measuring glaucoma for many people because not everyone who has glaucoma has elevated pressure. The visual field test, which detects a loss of peripheral vision, is only useful after there is vision loss. Patients find this to be a tedious and difficult test to take. The visual field test is also a subjective test, meaning that the accuracy of the results depends on how well the patient takes the test.

The GDx doesn't use information about pressure or vision loss to determine if glaucoma is present. Instead, it is an objective test that looks at the health of the nerve fibers in the back of the eye, which the other tests cannot do. The GDx produces a color-coded map that determines the thickness of the nerve fiber layer and instantly compares it to a database of healthy glaucoma-free patients of the same age. A thinning of the nerve fibers indicates glaucoma may be present.

Dr. Waters predicts the GDx will actually replace the need for the visual field test within the next few years.

"The GDx test is much more sensitive in determining who has glaucoma," Dr. Waters said. "It will significantly improve the quality of follow-up care to determine if the treatments are effective."

This test is especially good news for those who are at risk of having glaucoma. Those who are in one of the following high-risk categories should take advantage of this early-detection test once a year:

The earlier glaucoma is detected the better chance there is to slow the progression of the disease with eyedrops or minor surgery in order to avoid vision loss.

If you think you might be suffering from glaucoma or for information about the GDx, click here to fill out our quick email form or call our office at 810-732-2272, so we can be of service.