Scientists from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Australia have developed a new test capable of identifying glaucoma four years earlier than current techniques.
The patented method reportedly uses an automated visual field analysis system that has patients look at small dots of light of specially chosen sizes and intensity. Their inability to see the dots indicates blind spots in the eye and early loss of peripheral vision. When researchers used this method to assess 13 patients with early glaucoma or optic nerve damage and 42 people without eye disease, greater vision loss was reportedly detected in all patients compared to using a standard glaucoma test.
The research team is currently using the new test to assess up to 30 more patients at the UNSW Centre for Eye Health, and they plan to conduct a much larger clinical trial to evaluate the test's effectiveness. The team's most recent research was recently published in the journal Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics.
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Source: University of New South Wales (UNSW) Australia