Frequent Tests Help Track Progression of Glaucoma, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Study

Frequent visual field testing may help doctors detect progression of the eye disease glaucoma at an earlier stage, a new study says. It's important to identify patients whose disease is progressing faster so that they can receive more aggressive treatment or more frequent follow-up, the researchers explained. Their study, published online Aug. 8 in the journal Archives of Ophthalmology, included 381 glaucoma patients, aged 35 to 80, who were followed for anywhere from about 3 to 13 years. Glaucoma progression was more likely to be detected in patients who had more visual field tests (a median of 20) than in those with fewer tests (a median of 12).