Results of A Visual Field Test and What They Mean

Your annual eye exam at our Katy & Houston optometrist’s offices will include a visual field test. Your visual field is what you can see directly in front of you without moving your eyes. Our optometrist at Eye Site can use one of three tests to map your visual field and detect vision deterioration caused by glaucoma or other pathological conditions. These tests measure damage to the visual pathways of your brain and can detect other optic nerve diseases. The tests can also be the basis for a referral to a site-saving medical procedure.

The Trio of Visual Field Tests

1. Confrontational Visual Field Exams

Your eye doctor stands or sits 3 to 4 feet in front of you. As you cover one of your eyes, you stare straight ahead at an object. While the doctor moves a hand in and out of your visual field, he or she asks you how many figures you see.

2. Tangent Screen Exams

You sit about 3 feet away from a computer screen, with a target in the center to focus on throughout the test. Without moving your eyes, you will indicate when you can see objects in your peripheral vision.

3. Automated Perimetry Tests

This test uses a computer program to measure your visual field. Seated at a dome-shaped instrument, you press a button when a flash of light appears. The computer maps the pattern and boundaries of your visual field.

How The Visual Field Tests Can Help

All three types of visual field tests can assist the eye doctor in diagnosing vision problems, such as glaucoma and macular degeneration. People who suffer from high blood pressure often have visual field problems. Also, the loss of peripheral vision could be a symptom of far more serious conditions like brain tumors or impending strokes.

Eye Site Has Two Locations

If you have noticed a decline in your vision recently, or if it has been a while since you’ve thought about going to an optometrist in Katy or Houston, TX, contact Eye Site to schedule an appointment. To reach us, call our Katy office at (281) 644-2010 or our Memorial office at (713) 984-9144.