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 doctors essential information about visual functions include tests of eye pressure, dilated retina, visual field, slit lamp and refraction.

Eye pressure test for glaucoma detection

An eye pressure test can detect an early-stage glaucoma, which is always accompanied by high intraocular pressure. Glaucoma is caused by the abnormal drainage of vitreous fluid in the eye, which in turn leads to an increase in intraocular pressure (IOP). This is why a test of eye pressure is widely used to detect and further diagnose the formation of glaucoma. Early detection and treatment of glaucoma are quite helpful since the disease is a leading cause of blindness.

Dilated retinal exam can discover many conditions

By looking through an enlarged pupil using a special instrument, a painless dilated retinal examination can detect a variety of eye problems such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts, diabetes and so on. Glaucoma presence can be diagnosed if there are 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. Such an exam of dilated retina is quite powerful, because the doctor is able to viewing clearly any part with a magnifying device.

What can be detected during a visual field test?

Visual field test involves the measurement of a person’s peripheral vision and central vision. These are two parts of human being’s normal vision field. However, either of them is fragile and may be affected by certain ocular problems. The central part of visual field is mainly for offering visual acuity. But this section can be damaged seriously by an eye disease called macular degeneration. Significantly different, peripheral vision is responsible for including as many things as possible in one’s visual field. Unfortunately, this part of vision is vulnerable to a lot of conditions, e.g. brain tumors, aneurysms and strokes. In conclusion, visual field test is supposed to detect abnormal signs of related problems.

Slit lamp exam and refraction test

In addition to the above tests that are commonly performed, there are still some other eye examinations that provide extra help for eye doctors. Some eye abnormalities such as dry eye, 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.

The importance of eye tests

The above eye tests are considered by most doctors as sight-saving tests. Once any sign of eye problems is found, eye doctors will conduct proper treatments such as refractive eyeglasses, glaucoma eye drops, and appropriate medications and so on. To a certain degree, detecting and diagnosing these problems through specific exams is the first step.