Visual field testing
A visual field test, also known as a perimetry test, measures your peripheral vision and is a key part of a routine eye examination. It’s a painless test that helps your eye doctor assess how well you can see to the sides, or peripherally.
Visual field tests are used to:
- Diagnose and monitor conditions like glaucoma, macular degeneration, stroke, and multiple sclerosis
- Detect blind spots
- Assess how eyelid problems may be limiting your vision
- Monitor drug side effects and toxicities
There are several types of visual field tests, including:
- Confrontation visual field test: You look directly at an object while one eye is covered, and your doctor holds up fingers in your peripheral vision
- Automated static perimetry test: You look into the center of a bowl-shaped instrument while lights flash off to the side
- Kinetic visual field test: Uses moving light targets instead of blinking lights
