The 2024 Vision Expo was launched in July 2024 and surveyed optometrists on a variety of topics including contacts, scleral lenses, corneal- and lens-based refractive surgery, glaucoma, myopia, ocular surface disease, dry AMD, and more. The survey had over 300 respondents and yielded some key insights!
One question asked what beyond intraocular pressure, were optometrists using to diagnose early-stage glaucoma. The results showed visual field test and retinal nerve fiber lay (RNFL) analysis with OCT to be the most frequently used tools.
Diagnosing glaucoma requires a multimodal approach, with these tools complementing each other to provide a comprehensive assessment._ Visual field testing remains essential for tracking peripheral vision loss, often the first sign of progression. However, early glaucoma can develop without a detectable visual field defect, making structural imaging critical.
Optical coherence tomography (OCT), particularly retinal nerve fiber layer and retinal ganglion cell analysis, plays a key role in detecting early changes before visual loss occurs. Continued advancements in these imaging techniques, along with the growing use of OCT angiography, may further improve early diagnosis.
Beyond these tools, ophthalmoscopy, pachymetry, and gonioscopy are widely used for diagnosis and management. Intraocular pressure measurement, optic nerve head evaluation, corneal thickness and hysteresis, and family history all contribute to the diagnostic puzzle. Since no single test can definitively diagnose glaucoma, a multimodal approach remains essential for accurate detection and monitoring.
To find out more about glaucoma as well as geographic atrophy, please join us that the “Advancing Optometric Care: Early Diagnosis and Treatment Strategies for Glaucoma and Geographic Atrophy” program in R-Ballroom-D, at Orange County Convention Center, in Orlando, Florida this Thursday, February 20th at 1:30-2:30.
Or, if you’d like to hear about other topics, please join us at for “Personalized Care for Myopia, Presbyopia, Ocular Surface and Eyelid Margin Health” in R-Ballroom-D on Friday February 21st at 1:30-2:30.
Data Source: 2024 Vision Expo Optometry Survey
