Diagnosis of Glaucoma

Campimetry is one of the most important tests for diagnosing and monitoring glaucoma, as it is the only test capable of evaluating peripheral vision, which is the type of vision affected by this disease.

In this test, the patient, one eye at a time, presses a button whenever they detect white lights appearing in their peripheral vision while continuously focusing on a central (orange) fixation light. One eye is covered first (usually the left), and the test is performed with the other, then repeated for the opposite eye. The test is conducted under the supervision of a technician.

It has been shown that the more relaxed the patient is, the more reliable the results are, so it is important to understand how the test works beforehand.

The test comprises the following steps:

• Keep your gaze fixed on the central orange reference point at all times and detect lights appearing in the periphery. Looking directly for the lights prevents proper evaluation.
•  Maintain a comfortable posture, with correct positioning of the head, chin, and back. Inform the technician if discomfort occurs.
• If discomfort arises, the test can be paused and resumed later.
• Respond to all white lights, whether bright or dim. At times, no light will appear and no response is needed. The test determines the threshold of vision, meaning the faintest lights the patient can detect, so it becomes progressively more difficult. It is normal to feel uncertain, even in individuals without glaucoma.
• Missing some lights is normal. The system repeats missed stimuli to ensure reliability.
• The test is individualized, adapting to each patient’s speed and visual capacity, so no two tests are identical.