Question
Hello, I recently had my yearly eye exam by an optometrist. She has recommended that I have an OCT test due to my eye pressure results from the standard test. She took several readings and could not get a low enough score, although the #'s weren't very far off (except in the 1st readings) She thought I may not be "relaxed" enough to get the correct readings and recommended that I have the OCT test just to be on the safe side. Should I see an ophthalmologist for this test or have her office administer it? I am a 65 year old female. Thank you in advance for your time. Mary
Answer
There is nothing difficult in administering the OCT test. And the results provided can be interpreted by any eye care professional. If your optometrist has access to an OCT, I am sure she is quite capable of using it appropriately. Moreover, as she has other back records about you, she may be better able to interpret the findings in the light of what she already knows about you, whereas an ophthalmologist would have only the data collected on one visit.
All optometrists who graduated in the last thirty years or so have been trained to treat glaucoma, which also means they are thoroughly trained to test for it as well. Not all states have laws that permit Optometrists to treat glaucoma, but by now, most of them do. If your OD has access to an OCT, I am betting she also treats glaucoma and there is no reason you should not trust her to do so.
However, as in all medicine, which doctor you see is entirely a question of trust. If you feel you can trust this doctor, you should stay with her. And if you don't you should move on. It is not a matter of which type of degree a person holds that makes them a good doctor, but rather the drive they have in their heart to help people.
