Glaucoma Testing & Management

Protecting Your Vision & Eye Health

Glaucoma is a leading cause of vision loss in Canada, developing symptom-free until your sight is affected. Without proper management and treatment, glaucoma can lead to permanent vision loss.

While glaucoma isn’t noticeable by yourself, we have the technology to diagnose this disease in its earliest stages of development. Visit InVision Eye Care, and we can help diagnose and manage glaucoma.

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What Is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that damage your optic nerve, an essential part of your eye responsible for the images you see. Damage to this nerve can lead to irreversible vision loss. This disease typically requires life-long management.

Glaucoma can lead to severe vision loss, but it typically develops with little-to-no visible symptoms. You may not even know you have glaucoma until vision loss occurs. The only way to diagnose this disease is with help from your optometrist, making regular eye exams essential for protecting your vision.

Types of Glaucoma

There are several types of glaucoma, with open-angle, angle-closure, normal-tension, and secondary glaucoma being the most common forms of this disease. Each type of glaucoma affects the eye differently, requiring different management strategies.

Angle-Closure Glaucoma

Angle-closure glaucoma happens when the drainage canals in the eye become blocked and cause an increase in eye pressure. The iris narrows the space between it and the cornea, making it difficult for fluid to drain from the eye. Pressure in the eye can rise slowly or rapidly—a quick rise in eye pressure is considered an eye emergency.

Normal-Tension Glaucoma

Normal-tension glaucoma causes damage to the optic nerve without raising your intraocular pressure. Experts believe abnormalities in blood flow or structural weaknesses in the optic nerve tissue are possible causes for normal-tension glaucoma.

Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma

Primary open-angle glaucoma is the most common form of glaucoma. It causes rising eye pressure because fluid cannot drain from the eye effectively—the pressure build-up of fluid damages the optic nerve, leading to vision loss.

Secondary Glaucoma

Secondary glaucoma is a general term for any glaucoma with an identifiable cause. Eye injury, uveitis, blood vessel issues, and other problems can cause secondary glaucoma.

How We Test for Glaucoma

Testing for glaucoma is a part of every comprehensive eye exam at our practice. While this disease can develop with little-to-no symptoms, many but not all forms of glaucoma raise your intraocular pressure (IOP). High internal eye pressure increases your risk of glaucoma.

We have several ways to measure your IOP during your eye exam.

Goldmann Applanation Tonometry

Applanation tonometry helps us accurately measure your IOP. A small probe touches your eye to gently flatten the cornea. Numbing eye drops can increase your comfort during this test.

Non-Contact Tonometry

Non-contact tonometry allows us to measure your IOP without touching your eye. We use a small puff of air to flatten your cornea and measure your internal eye pressure.

Tono-Pen

The Tono-Pen is a handheld tonometer, allowing us to quickly measure your IOP during your eye exam.

We Can Help Manage Glaucoma

Glaucoma can lead to severe vision loss, but we can help diagnose and treat this disease. Our team can identify signs of glaucoma while it’s early in development and recommend a treatment plan to protect your vision.