What Is Glaucoma Screening?

Answer:

Navy Lt. Robert Senko, an optometrist assigned to the Medical Treatment Facility aboard the U.S. Military Sealift Command (MSC) Hospital Ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), conducts a glaucoma test.

Advocated for men and women over 40, it’s a quick and painless test to determine your risk for glaucoma, an eye disease characterized by increased pressure in the eye. Screening usually entails the insertion of eye drops, and a quick vision test.

Because there are usually no early symptoms of glaucoma, this is the best way to establish whether you’re at risk or already infected. If left untreated, glaucoma can eventually cause blindness.

If you wear contact lenses, remove them before the test, and don’t put them back in for at least an hour after the test. Avoid alcohol in the 12 hours before. If you have a sore in your eye, or an eye infection, wait for it to heal.