Osborne Harle offer specialist tests for glaucoma and provide referral refinement services.
Glaucoma is not one disorder but a range of conditions in which the pressure inside the eye becomes too high. This results in damage to the optic nerve at the back of the eye, which can lead to loss of vision if left untreated. Osborne Harle offer specialist tests for glaucoma and provide referral refinement services for people whose own opticians suspect they have glaucoma as well as glaucoma clinical appointments within the West Kent Community Ophthalmology Clinic hosted by our practice.
Glaucoma is one of the most common causes of blindness worldwide. It develops from a disruption to the constant flow of fluid through the eye called the aqueous humour. It is secreted into the eye from an area behind the iris (the coloured part of the eye) and flows around through the pupil and drains out of the eye through several microscopic channels in an area of the eye called the anterior chamber angle. Glaucoma usually develops when this flow of fluid becomes disrupted and there is a build-up of pressure within the eye. If untreated this causes permanent loss of peripheral vision and eventually blindness.
There are two main sub-groups of glaucoma: primary open angle glaucoma (formerly known as chronic simple glaucoma) is a slowly progressive condition which occurs when the tiny microscopic drainage channels gradually become blocked.
Primary angle closure glaucoma (also known as closed angle or acute glaucoma) occurs much more rapidly when the flow of fluid inside the eye cannot pass through the pupil, causing a rapid rise in pressure inside the eye.
Primary Open Angle Glaucoma can begin without you noticing any symptoms. It is therefore really important that you are checked for glaucoma at every eye examination. At Osborne Harle we do this by examining the four key indicators of glaucoma; the appearance of the optic nerves on your retina, your visual field to test your peripheral vision, the appearance of the anterior chamber angle and the intra-ocular pressure.
Measuring the eye pressure using Goldmann Tonometry
A Humphrey visual field analyzer…the gold standard visual field test available at Osborne Harle
Examination of the anterior chamber of the eye can be done directly or by gonioscopy.
The shape of the optic nerve becomes “cupped” in glaucoma, try to go cross eyed when looking at this picture to see glaucomatous optic nerve head cupping.
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