Choosing the Right Glaucoma Specialist
What to look for in a glaucoma specialist, and what to ask before you book.
- Treated by a senior eye specialist
- Glaucoma fellowship at Johns Hopkins
- Optic nerve checked, not just eye pressure
Camden (Orchard)Joo ChiatClementiBedokToa PayohJurong
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Looking for the best glaucoma specialist or doctor in Singapore?
There is no one best glaucoma specialist for everyone. The right one for you is an eye specialist who:
- treats glaucoma as their main area of work
- checks your optic nerve and side vision, not just your eye pressure
- explains your results in plain words
- will look after you for the long term
- makes you feel heard and confident
Looking for a glaucoma specialist? Talk to our friendly staff for a same-day appointment (subject to availability).
Glaucoma specialist or general eye doctor?
A glaucoma specialist is an eye specialist who has done extra training in glaucoma, called a fellowship.
It is worth seeing one if your glaucoma is advanced, getting worse despite treatment, or runs in your family.
What a full glaucoma check includes
A pressure check alone is not enough to find glaucoma, because it can happen with normal eye pressure. It is diagnosed mainly from damage to the optic nerve and loss of side vision. A full check usually looks at:
- Eye pressure, measured with a quick test.
- The drainage angle, where fluid leaves the eye.
- The optic nerve, for signs of damage.
- Side vision, with a visual field test.
- The nerve fibres, with a scan.
- Corneal thickness, which affects the pressure reading.
Care for the long term
Treatment that fits your eye
Glaucoma is treated with eye drops, laser or surgery. Ask why a treatment suits you, and what happens if it does not lower the pressure enough.
Help with your eye drops
Drops need to be used every day to work. The specialist should check you can put them in, and that any side effects are manageable.
Reviews for life
Glaucoma needs regular checks for life. Ask how often you will be seen, and whether you will see the same doctor.
Honest about what treatment can do
Treatment protects the sight you have. It cannot bring back sight already lost, and no doctor should promise it will.
Questions to ask your glaucoma doctor
Write them down, and bring your earlier test results if you have them.
- What type of glaucoma do I have, and how advanced is it?
- What eye pressure are we aiming for?
- Which tests will you repeat, and how often?
- Why this treatment for me, and what if it does not work?
- What side effects should I watch for?
- Will I see the same doctor at each visit?
- Should my family be checked too?
- What will my care cost over a year?
Who treats glaucoma at The Straits Eye Centre
Glaucoma is the subspecialty of Dr Jayant V Iyer, Senior Consultant Eye Surgeon and Medical Director. He did his glaucoma fellowship at Johns Hopkins, was formerly Senior Consultant Glaucoma Surgeon at the Singapore National Eye Centre, and has performed about 1,000 glaucoma surgeries. Talk to us for a quick appointment.
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Dr Jayant V Iyer
Senior Consultant & Medical Director
The Straits Eye CentreMBBS · GDFM · MMed (Ophth) · FRCOphth · FAMS
Common questions
What kind of doctor treats glaucoma?
An ophthalmologist, also called an eye specialist. An ophthalmologist who has done extra training in glaucoma, called a fellowship, is a glaucoma specialist. An optometrist can check your eye pressure and refer you.
When should I see a glaucoma specialist?
It is worth seeing one if your glaucoma is advanced, is getting worse despite treatment, or runs in your family. Your eye doctor can tell you whether a referral makes sense.
How often will I need to see a glaucoma specialist?
It depends on how advanced and how stable your glaucoma is. Visits are usually closer together at first and further apart once it is stable, but checks continue for life.
Can I get a second opinion for glaucoma?
Yes. Bring your earlier visual field results, scans and eye pressure readings, and a list of your eye drops. Earlier results help show whether anything has changed.
See a glaucoma specialist
Send us a message with what you have been told about your eyes and a time that suits, and we will arrange an examination. Bring any earlier test results.
