Combatting misconceptions in glaucoma testing

Robert L. Stamper, OD, addressed optometrists about the nuances of glaucoma testing during the recent Glaucoma 3260 meeting.

Video Transcript:

Editor's note: The below transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

What do you wish more optometrists knew about glaucoma?

Robert L. Stamper, MD: I'd say the variability in presentation, the racial differences in susceptibility to glaucoma, and I would say the fact that glaucoma, by and large, is a slowly progressive disease, and we don't always have to make decisions in the moment, that we can wait and see how it evolves, to see if it's progressing before we initiate or escalatetreatment.

What are the most common misconceptions of glaucoma testing?

Stamper: The most common misconceptions are the infallibility of our diagnostic equipment, which kind of relates back to not having to make a momentary decision, except in extreme, extreme situations. But for the most part, with chronic glaucoma, often our machines aren't programmed to take into account ethnic and racial differences. They're based, often, on a small number of patients to develop a normative database, so what the machine prints out as being "abnormal" may not, in fact, be "abnormal," may just be a product of some genetic difference between 1 person and another. I think one should, again, except in far advanced situations, one has the ability to repeat the examination, make sure that you're where you're comfortable with the results of testing.