Diagnosing and monitoring glaucoma isn’t always straightforward, and that’s especially true when retinal pathology is present. When glaucoma and retinal disease coexist, it can be difficult to determine whether glaucoma has progressed—or even if the patient actually has glaucoma. Similarly, a change in retinal status can alter test results, leading us to believe a glaucoma patient’s disease may have worsened when the change is actually due to a retinal condition. In this article, HIP Investigator Dr. Yao Liu focuses on how retinal issues can affect visual fields and optical coherence tomography data when evaluating glaucoma.
She provides an overview of how retinal conditions can impact a glaucoma clinical evaluation; then reviews several case examples of situations in which common (and less-common) retinal conditions affected test results with significant implications for clinical decision-making and management. Finally, she shares strategies for distinguishing between real glaucoma progression and issues related to retinal disease.
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