Olathe, KS -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/19/2014 -- Dr. Diane Galbrecht of Galbrecht Eyecare in Olathe, KS is always excited to offer her patients the finest in eye care. Providing early detection of common eye conditions is an essential part of her mission in the wider Olathe community, and she is always looking for ways to further this aim. Visual Field Testing to detect peripheral vision loss that may indicate underlying health issues is no exception.

Peripheral vision loss means that a person no longer possesses a normal, wide field of vision because his/her visual field at the sides is either reduced or lost completely. In moderate to severe cases, this may block a significant part of a person's side vision, leading to a sensation as though one is looking through a tube or tunnel. This is often referred to as “tunnel vision.” Dr. Galbrecht comments, “Peripheral vision loss can be an indicator of serious eye conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and a detached retina, all of which are extremely dangerous conditions which can lead to blindness if not diagnosed and treated in a timely manner. It can also be an indication of problems in the brain such as tumors, brain damage caused by stroke, and concussions. The location of a stroke or tumor can even be determined by the size, shape and location of the peripheral vision loss. Visual Field Testing is among the best techniques in the field of Optometry to detect this all-important indicator of underlying danger to your vision and overall health.”

During a routine eye exam with Dr. Galbrecht, she first begins with a simple test called a confrontation visual field test. One eye is covered, and the patient is asked to fix the other eye on a target in central vision, such as her eye or a picture. She then asks the patient to describe objects in his/her side vision. If she suspects that there is a spot in the patient's side vision that is problematic, she then moves on to more comprehensive, formal testing to evaluate central and side vision. These tests measure the patient's ability to see varying degrees of light in side vision, the patient's ability to see vertical black and white bars at certain frequencies, and the electrical activity generated by the patient's eyes' photoreceptor cells when stimulated by a strobe light or reversed checkerboard pattern. These tests better assist Dr. Galbrecht in deciding not only whether or not a patient has peripheral vision loss, but what it means and how to treat it.

Dr. Galbrecht comments, “These tests are especially important to mention during Diabetes Awareness Month, since the leading cause of blindness in working age adults is from an eye condition linked to diabetes, called diabetic retinopathy. This condition can be detected by administering a visual field test, and early detection means early treatment. Early treatment may mean saving someone's valued sense of sight. This is why we're here in the Olathe community.”