Optic Nerve Photographs

Ultimately the concern in all glaucoma patients is damage to the optic nerve, which can result in vision loss. The changes in the optic nerve are often visible, but can be subtle. We must be able to detect these subtle changes to know if a patient is developing glaucoma or if their glaucoma is worsening.

We make photographs in order to make it possible to detect the subtle changes that may take place in the optic nerve. These are much more reliable than drawings or memory. However, photographs of the optic nerve may look different than the optic nerve looks when examined directly. For this reason we repeat photographs periodically so that they can be compared directly. This gives us the best chance of detecting changes in the shape of the optic nerve at the earliest possible stage.