Glaucoma is no longer considered to be a disease of high pressure in the eye. It is a disease that can damage the optic nerve with even pressure that is considered normal in most patients. Glaucoma is a disease that is without symptoms in most patients. There is usually no pain or vision loss noticed by the patient, making regular eye exams an essential part of your routine health care. You will be tested for glaucoma during a routine eye exam to ensure early detection of the disease. Prevention is the key with glaucoma, once vision is lost it cannot be brought back. However most cases of glaucoma, if detected early, can be properly treated with either drops or laser surgery preventing any significant vision loss.
Using instruments such as the HRT III, the doctors can better assess the overall health of the nerve fiber layer at the optic nerve. This instrument may detect this disease up to 5 years sooner than traditional methods used in detecting glaucoma. When the HRT III is used in conjunction with corneal thickness, intra-ocular pressure, visual fields and family history, glaucoma can be detected at its earliest stages before any significant vision loss occurs.