High Eye Pressures During Yearly Exam

Screening for glaucoma with the OCT is a procedure that can be performed at
Memphis Family Vision in East Memphis.  

G.W. asked what does it mean if my eye pressures are high during my yearly vision examination?

G.W. …..that is very good question. Every patient over the age of 18 should have eye pressures checked to screen for glaucoma during the yearly eye exam. Some times the results of the glaucoma screening are out of the normal range. If this happens, the doctor may recommend that a glaucoma-suspect evaluation be performed. This will include dilating the eyes to provide a more detailed look at the optic nerve, photographing the internal structures of the eye, a visual field evaluation which checks the side vision and an Ocular Coherence Tomography (OCT) which measures the thickness of the nerve fibers and compares them to age related data gathered from years of research.

The doctor will use this information to determine if you have glaucoma. If so, then many times eye drops will be prescribed to lower the pressure. If it is determined that you do not have glaucoma, then observation may be recommended.

Glaucoma is a very controllable disease, if caught early. An eye pressure screening is just one of the many tests used to determine if a patient has glaucoma. Thanks for asking such an important question; our number one goal is protecting our patient’s visual health.