The Glaucoma Clinic is equipped to diagnose and manage all glaucomas.  For non-glaucoma related eye disorders, collaborative management with specialists is arranged.

Preparing yourself for the appointment

  1. Bring the glasses that you use every day. If your new glasses have been ordered but not picked up yet bring the prescription if available.
  2. Make a list of all your medical diseases and the approximate year/age of diagnosis.
  3. Make a list of the names and dosage of all medications, blood thinners, vitamins or supplements and eye drops taken in the past.
  4. Make a list of all that you are allergic to.

General information

  1. Please adhere to clinic timings.
  2. Patients are seen preferably by appointment.
  3. Patients are requested to come at least 15 minutes prior to their scheduled appointment to complete the paperwork.
  4. It is only after the registration formalities have been completed that the pre liminary examination will be done.
  5. Your appointment time indicates the time when you are expected to report to the registration desk. The doctor will see you later, only after the pre liminary examination has been done.
  6. If extra testing has been done for you elsewhere, please bring those test reports with you. We avoid repeating tests, but sometimes tests may have to be repeated for confirmation.
  7. Preferably, each patient be accompanied by one attendant.
  8. Kindly inform about any change in appointment at the earliest.
  9. Be prepared that extra tests / investigations may be needed on that day.
  10. It is difficult to predict the type of testing needed over the phone when the appointment is being made.
  11. A complete glaucoma examination including investigations and dilatation (where not contraindicated) may take up to 3 hours. Additional tests may need to be scheduled as and when required.
  12. Dilatation is done to look at the nerve and the retina in the back of the eye. This can make your near vision blurry for several hours. Your eyes can become sensitive to bright light and reading will be difficult.All this is temporary.
  13. If dilatation is done, it is advisable to have someone drive you back or take public transport back.
  14. Procedures / investigations can be scheduled separately. Kindly intimate at the time of scheduling your visit if you are coming for investigations / lasers advised at a previous visit.
  15. Glaucoma surgery is always scheduled after prior discussion.
  16. At all visits, please bring your old prescriptions and bottles of the ongoing glaucoma treatment.
  17.  

If you are coming for the first time, you will go through the following: -

  1. Upon arrival we request you to meet the receptionist, who will help you through the registration formalities. A form will then be filled out detailing your ongoing and past medical ailments and allergies.
  2. A detailed history consisting of eye symptoms, relevant medical and surgical treatment taken will be documented along with a relevant preliminary examination by trained and qualified optometrists. This will include vision testing, pachymetry and tonometry.
  3. You will then be examined by the glaucoma consultant who will complete the examination with a slit-lamp examination, gonioscopy and fundus examination, where not contraindicated. Certain additional procedures (provocative tests, automated perimetry, gonioscopy, UBM, disc morphometric analysis with OCT, lasers etc) may be required. These additional tests will be done after discussing with you.
  4. It may be possible to schedule them on that very day or as per your convenience on an alternate day.
  5. Subsequently, the glaucoma consultant will discuss with you, about your glaucoma, offer practical treatment options in your context and help you make a logical choice.
  6. Every effort is made to adhere to the time schedule. We will try to complete the entire glaucoma workup including state of art / cutting edge investigations in 3 hours. At times it can take longer. Please bear with us.
  7. All patients are requested to schedule a follow up appointment as they leave or at the earliest.

If you have been seen by us earlier:-

  1. We request you to preserve and bring your prescription slip at all visits.
  2. Kindly bring all bottles of the ongoing glaucoma treatment at all visits.
  3. If you have been seen earlier and are now scheduling a follow up appointment, we requested you to mention the purpose of your visit – consultation only or investigation/ procedure, you want to get done (in case it has been prescribed earlier). This will help us to call you at the appropriate time. 

Emergency Consultation

  1. We provide emergency consultation during clinic timings only.
  2. During clinic timings emergency appointments can be scheduled at the clinic numbers.
  3. For all emergency appointments, a priority consultation with the available consultant will be scheduled.
  4. In such cases, prompt advice and treatment as required would be arranged for with the available consultant
  5. A further appointment can then be scheduled with the glaucoma consultant.
  6. We request your co-operation in this, to enable us to serve you better.

Questions you must ask us after the examination has been completed

  1. Do I have glaucoma?
  2. If so, what type?
  3. What is the severity of my glaucoma?
  4. What treatments options are available for my glaucoma?
  5. Has glaucoma affected my vision?
  6. If yes, what area of my vision has been affected?
  7. If drops are to being prescribed:
    • How long will I need to take these drops?
    • What do I do if I forget to take my drops or miss a dose?
    • Are there any side effects of these drops?
    • Will the eye drops sting?
    • What should I do if the eye drops are causing me discomfort? Should I stop taking them or should I contact you at the earliest?
  8. Is laser treatment or surgery an option for my glaucoma?
  9. What laser treatments are available and how it will help my glaucoma? How soon will I have to do this procedure done? What can I expect after the laser is done?
  10. What surgical options are available and how it will help my glaucoma? How soon will I have to do this procedure? What can I expect after the surgery is done?
  11. Why are you choosing this treatment over other treatment options?
  12. Will this cure my glaucoma?
  13. Will I still need to continue treatment following the laser/surgical procedure?
  14. Is there anything I can do to slow down glaucoma progression and minimise vision loss?
  15. Are there any alternate treatment modalities can I consider to control my glaucoma – diet / exercise, vitamins and/or other supplements.
  16. What happens if I choose not to undergo any treatment?
  17. While on treatment how will I know that I need urgent attention?
  18. Can my vision reduce suddenly?
  19. How often do I need to get my eyes checked?
  20. How frequently should I undergo tests for glaucoma?
  21. Should I ask my brothers, sisters and children to get examined for glaucoma?
  22. What medication should I avoid in view of my glaucoma?
  23. Can my glaucoma worsen despite treatment?

After your appointment

  1. You should have some understanding of glaucoma- what it is and what treatment has been suggested for you and when are you supposed to follow up next.
  2. You must understand your role in stabilising your glaucoma so as to reduce the risk of further damage to the optic nerve and loss of vision.
  3. You must follow the treatment as suggested and come for regular follow ups as advised. These follow-up appointments will enable us to assess if the prescribed treatment is working adequately in preventing further damage.
  4. You must understand that treatment modifications take time to lower the eye pressure. If you are not convinced about the need for treatment or have reasons that prevent you from using the prescribed treatment in part or whole, let us know at the earliest so that your concerns can be sorted.