-Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States, and half of those affected are not even aware of it.(1)  One reason is that one third of the glaucoma is undetectable with the traditional “ air puff” test. (2)  To help doctors with this problem, leading diagnostic equipment manufacturer Carl Zeiss Meditec has developed a revolutionary instrument to help diagnose glaucoma and monitor its progress, and it is now available at the offices of Dr. Edward Miles, and Dr. Craig Tisch.

Dr. Miles, Dr. Tisch and Dr. Wolf offer the Zeiss GDx glaucoma exam because early detection is vital for saving vision. “Glaucoma is painless and advances slowly, so may patients don’t realize they have a problem until it’s too late. In fact, one of the traditional methods of detecting glaucoma is visual field testing, which measures vision already lost,” said Dr. Tisch. “And, unfortunately, glaucoma-related vision loss cannot be reversed. So time is of the essence.”

The ZEISS GDx exam is safe and comfortable and takes 3 minutes or less. The instrument scans 36,000 discrete points on the retina. These measurements are then analyzed by computer and compared with those of healthy, glaucoma-free patients. An abnormally thin retinal nerve fiber layer indicates that glaucoma may be present.

“ZEISS GDx scanning technology will have broad use in the future for accurate, rapid and cost-effective glaucoma detection,” said Dr. Tisch. “As our population ages, glaucoma detection and treatment will become a much greater concern, and it is vital to use technologies such as the ZEISS GDx to effectively meet those needs.”

We encourage all patients over 30 years of age to have a Gdx performed to ensure that they are not at risk for this sight threatening disease.

1.  American Academy of Ophthalmology Preferred Practice Patterns Committee Glaucoma Panel.

2. Klein BE, Klein R, Sponsel WE, et al. Prevalence of Glaucoma: the Beaver Dam Eye Study