Why does my eye doctor want to do more than one kind of glaucoma test?

Monitoring: Glaucoma is a slow disease typically and asymptomatic--plus the tests for it are not perfect (i.e. Yes/no), thus we do complementary structural and functional testing to figure out the rate of disease and to eliminate subjective variability or to distinguish from other similar eye diseases.

Glaucoma testing: Common glaucoma tests include intraocular pressure measurement, pachymetry (corneal thickness), visual field test, and oct. Ask your glaucoma specialist what each test is used for. If any test is abnormal, you may need glucoma treatment to protect your eyesight.

Better Care: With newer technology, different parts of the eye affected by glaucoma are able to be monitored to diagnose the disease and evaluate treatment. Many times, treatment for glaucoma can now begin before your vision is damaged, and with more sophisticated testing, better asses the efficacy of your treatment. More is not always better, but in this case it may be.

It is necessary: Glaucoma is not a simple disease. Multiple tests are often needed to make a diagnosis and establish a target pressure.