Methods To Know Whether Glaucoma Is Stable or Not

One way to monitor glaucoma and to know whether it is stable or not is through optic nerve photographs that should be initially taken to establish a baseline of the optic nerve damage then subsequently taken at scheduled visits to compare the state of the optic nerve with the initial photos.

Imaging devices employed for glaucoma screening include spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT), scanning laser polarimetry (GDx), and scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (Heidelberg Retinal Tomograph, HRT). The screening capabilities of all three OCT, GDx, and HRT are found to be similar.

OCT is an imaging tool that uses a laser beam to visualize structures in the retina. With the use of OCT, practitioners can detect glaucoma damage reflected by a retinal thinning as well as its early progression.

GDx is a high-tech imaging device that scans and produces images of the fundus. This informs about the state of the nerve fiber layer that passes to the optic nerve. In glaucoma, the nerve fiber layer thins out. This thinning can be detected using the nerve fiber analyzer.

HRT or the scanning laser ophthalmoscope is a device that uses a laser beam to scan the optic nerve. Studies indicate that with the use of HRT practitioners can accurately measure the amount of damage to the optic nerve by measuring
the size of the cup and the rim area as well as taking three-dimensional images of the optic nerve. It is presently believed that the scanning laser ophthalmoscope can accurately measure early changes and damages in the nerve as well as their progression before being identified by the eye doctor or detected on the visual field test.