Intraocular pressure and visual field
Intraocular pressure control (IOP) and visual field examination (CV)
Increased intraocular pressure (IOP) can lead to eye disease such as glaucoma, which damages the optic nerve and causes loss of visual field. Therefore, early diagnosis and early treatment of this eye disease are key to preventing severe vision loss.
Eye pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg), and has a normal range between 12 and 21 mmHg; therefore, when the IOP is higher the person has ocular hypertension, which is a risk factor for glaucoma.
Loss of vision usually occurs when eye pressure is too high and causes irreversible damage to the optic nerve, initially affecting the periphery of our visual field, which is easily overlooked until more severe loss has occurred. To rule out the risk of developing glaucoma, it is important to have a visual examination every year; especially if we have a family history of glaucoma or an ocular hypertension condition.
Campimetry is the most important diagnostic test for assessing the visual field and for knowing the status of the macular scotoma (in the case of AMD), its location and its extent.
A computerized campimeter is an advanced instrument that presents light stimuli of different intensities by studying the patient’s response to assess possible alterations in his visual field. This test is used to monitor the progression of glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa, neurophysiological diseases, optic lesions, etc.
The Humphrey computerized perimeter is one of the most widely used in current clinical optometry.
