Various eye tests for eye disease detection

Eye tests are critical for older people to maintain visual health. While regular eye tests can find out visual problems and suggest early treatments, a delayed eye test may lead to incurable vision problems and even blindness. Some older individuals reject to receive any eye test during decades because they “feel” good with their vision conditions. However, some chronic eye diseases may be deteriorating progressively, resulting in unfortunate visual results. In general, basic eye tests that give eye doctor essential information about visual functions include tests of eye pressures, visual field, dilated retinal, slit lamp and refraction.

An eye pressure test can detect early stages of glaucoma, which is always accompanied by high intraocular pressure. Early detection and treatment of glaucoma are quite helpful since the disease is a leading cause of blindness. Visual field testing is effective in monitoring eye diseases such as brain tumors, aneurysms and strokes, all of which affect visual field.

By looking through an enlarged pupil using a special instrument, a painless dilated retinal exam can detect a variety of eye problems such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts, and diabetes and so on. Glaucoma presence can be diagnosed by changes in the optic nerve and macular area viewing is capable of detecting macular degeneration. By observing potential damage to the eye’s arteries and veins, many diseases can be diagnosed such as diabetes, artery hardening, high blood pressure and cholesterol damage.

Some eye abnormalities such as dry eyes, corneal dystrophies, pingueculae and pterygia, eyelid disease and cancerous changes can be detected by a slit lamp examination. Besides basic prescription determination, a refraction test can also help in detecting diabetes, cataracts and thyroid problems.

These above eye tests are considered by most doctors as sight-saving tests. Once any sign of eye problems is found, the eye doctor conducts proper treatments such as refractive eyeglasses, glaucoma eye drops, and appropriate medications and so on.

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