Burlington, IA -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/16/2015 -- American Eyecare, a local optometry practice known for its superior patient care and technology, has recently unveiled the latest addition to its advanced eye care offerings, a Visual Field Analyzer.

"The visual field analyzer measures and evaluates an individual's unique and current field of vision, and identifies and quantifies potential disease," explains Dr. Tod Gerhardt of American Eyecare, "Among the important diseases the visual field analyzer is able to detect are glaucoma, macular degeneration, ocular tumors, diabetic eye disease, retinal detachments, stroke, brain tumors, aneurysms, genetic eye disorders, and many other disease associated with and affecting a person's visual field. It is important to catch these conditions as early as possible, as many of them have no initial symptoms and significant vision may be lost if a person waits until they notice a change in their vision before coming for an eye exam."

Discussing further about how the visual field analyzer helps identify eye related conditions, Dr. Gerhardt explains, "Very specific defects occur in an individual's field of vision that are too small for most people to perceive in everyday life. The Visual Field Analyzer identifies and helps quantify loss of vision in glaucoma. This allows the doctor to determine several things, including whether treatment should be initiated, if the current treatment is proving effective and if the patient is complying with the recommended treatment."

In the past, Visual Field Analysis tests have involved a noisy machine that could take 15 to 20 minutes per eye. By comparison the current visual field analysis technology at American Eyecare is non-invasive and no touch, and requires a quick 5 to 6 minutes per eye in a quiet, low-lit room.

When discussing the types of patients he would recommend the visual field analysis test to, Dr. Gerhardt suggests that any person who is experiencing persistent and/or unexplained headaches, double vision, wavy vision, flashes of light or floaters should speak to their eye doctor about having this test done to check for possible underlying eye conditions.

Dr. Gerhardt also likes to relate the positive impact the visual field analyzer has had on his patients. He relates, "A young adult patient with persistent headaches was found to have a very specific visual field defect in both eyes that led to the discovery of a pituitary tumor. It was a large tumor that was successfully treated that eliminated the headaches and allowed for resolution of several other systemic conditions."