What to expect from a GDx - Nerve Fiber Analyzer test (Glaucoma)?
Question by Balazs O: What to expect from a GDx - Nerve Fiber Analyzer test (Glaucoma)?
My eye doctor has referred me to a Glaucoma specialist due to a decrease in score on the field of vision test for my right eye, and apparently I’m going to get a GDx test, something to do with measuring the nerve fiber layer from what I understand.
Has anyone ever had this sort of test? What can I expect? I’m a bit nervous, I undersand there’s lasers involved? Is this in any way like the applanation tonometer test?
Best answer:
Answer by Pingooox
This is a Ressonant test, you don’t worry!!! But with you have a field visual loss, you really need to do a lot of tests, because it could be glaucoma and you have to treat this all life long, beucase this willness goes blind with you dont’t use eye drops.
This is not like appanation test, this will see your retine, the appanation test is made to measure your eye pressure, commom person has 18 or 20 mmHg if they don’t have loss in field of vision
Good luck from Brazil!!!
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Glaucoma refers to a group of diseases that affect the optic nerve and involves a loss of retinal ganglion cells in a characteristic pattern. It is a type of optic neuropathy. Raised intraocular pressure is a significant risk factor for developing glaucoma (above 22 mmHg or 2.9 kPa). One person may develop nerve damage at a relatively low pressure, while another person may have high eye pressure for years and yet never develop damage. Untreated glaucoma leads to permanent damage of the optic nerve and resultant visual field loss, which can progress to blindness.
Glaucoma can be divided roughly into two main categories, “open angle” and “closed angle” glaucoma. Angle closure[clarification needed] can appear suddenly and is often painful. Visual loss can progress quickly but the discomfort often leads patients to seek medical attention before permanent damage occurs. Open angle, chronic glaucoma tends to progress more slowly and the patient may not notice that they have lost vision until the disease has progressed significantly.
Glaucoma has been nicknamed the “sneak thief of sight” because the loss of vision normally occurs gradually over a long period of time and is often only recognized when the disease is quite advanced. Once lost, this damaged visual field can never be recovered. Worldwide, it is the second leading cause of blindness.[1] Glaucoma affects 1 in 200 people aged fifty and younger, and 1 in 10 over the age of eighty. If the condition is detected early enough it is possible to arrest the development or slow the progression with medical and surgical means.
What do you think? Answer below!
GDx is a laser scan of the back of the eye. It is used to measure the thickness of the layers of the back of the eye, size and slope of the optic cup and disc which can be useful in diagnosing a number of posterior eye diseases. This scan is relatively short and is typically done by a technician and then interpreted by the doctor. You will likely have this test done annually, if not more frequently depending on the progression of the disease. You don’t feel anything and only have to follow the technician’s instruction about where to focus your gaze.
A tonometer test is different in that it measures your IOP but doesn’t reveal anything about the structures of the eye that could be impacting your IOP.
Best of luck!