Peripheral Vision Eye Test

[MysticMeghan]

My DH has just come back from an hour long barrage of tests at the optician. Apparently the puff of air test was done about ten times, there were drops put in his eye, lights shone in his eye etc. etc.

The last test to be done was the one for peripheral vision. He failed it spectacularly couldn't see ANY of the flashing light apparently. Going back in a few weeks but now panicking he might have glaucoma because his eye pressure has been measured as very high (previously normal) and if he loses his driving licence that's his career up the spout (he's 50).

Talking to him, several things struck me as being wrong. He is long sighted and was asked to do the peripheral vision test without his glasses (he couldn't see a thing). I'm sure if you are long sighted you are supposed to wear your glasses? He said the lights were turned down but not off and there was a spotlight above his head which was very distracting. He said the lens was dirty and also the optician left his computer screen on at one side which was throwing out a lot of distracting light.

I have urged him to go to a different optician and pay for a re-test but not say anything. Apparently the optician today wants him to go back and re-do the test with his glasses on.

He is on the train how coming home. Says his eyes are all sore and blurry from all the tests. He wasn't expecting any of this and is very stressed.

He said the tests went on for over an hour and it was almost like the optician was trying to prove something. Our previous optician, who has recently retired on grounds of ill health, had never found anything wrong in 20 years.

Any opticians on here? Both myself and his best friend telling him to go to another optician and get a second opinion. He hasn't been diagnosed or referred but is really scared.

[helpfulperson]

If the optician though there was anything seriously wrong they would most likely have referred him on however I do agree with you it would be sensible to pay another position and see what they say.

[Februarycat]

When I went to my optician for my last eye test a year or so ago, he referred me to the hospital eye clinic to test for glaucoma, but he did it the day of the test. Think I was around a month waiting for the hospital appointment to come through. Luckily everything was ok even though my optician thought different but I think he just wanted to double check.

I think they would have referred your DH straightaway but if he is worried he needs to ask for another test or a referral for the eye clinic.

[underneaththeash]

So, the way the test works is that they detect the minimum amount of light you can see and then make it a little bit brighter. The machine does check this several times, but if people continually press too soon (which often happens as people are scared of getting it wrong), the strength of the light is too low and the test pointless as the patient can see none of the dots.

There is little point doing the test when tired, but glasses-wise the tester will usually put in a lens that replicates vision with glasses.

You need to re-book for a day when he's not fatigued, but get him to only press when he sees the light, otherwise it won't work.

I've had several times when I've had to stick my head in the machine at the same time as the patient and tell them there is absolutely no way they can see the light that they're pressing to say they can see otherwise they'd be superman....

[TorysSuckRevokeArticle50]

I'm very short sighted and had 1 spectacularly rubbish visual field test where I told the lady I needed my glasses, she said I couldn't wear them, then I could not see a single light, test just went on and on for ages while the machine tried to find a level that would work.

In the end I gave up and said that I wasn't continuing without my glasses, and she relented and let me do it. Much better!

[Itsagrandoldteam]

If the drops in his eyes were used to dilate the pupils, then he would become very sensitive to any form of light.
He needs to repeat the peripheral vision test without having the drops in.
My father in law failed his peripheral vision test on the day they did all the other tests, when he went back for that test alone, he passed with no problems.

[AnnaMagnani]

DH has severe glaucoma. He can do the peripheral vision test without his glasses on as it's not about acuity, it's just about picking up the light.

If your DH has high pressures, he needs to be seen in Ophthalmology anyway, regardless of what they may have done on the tests today, as he may have glaucoma.

And at eye clinic they will do ALL the tests again.

For driving, if he is diagnosed with glaucoma, you register with the DVLA and you get sent to Specsavers and they do a Visual Fields test there. It won't be the one he did at the optician today.