Like many melophiles, I adore the music streaming service I use. It offers easy access to millions of artists and music genres, curated playlists, and algorithm-recommended artists. All that said, I also enjoy listening to music on a record player. There’s just something about the sound quality of vinyl.

And so for me, and I would imagine many other music lovers, the music streaming service and record player are not mutually exclusive methods for accessing music. Neither are advanced diagnostic imaging technologies and gonioscopy for glaucoma, points out Dr. Jill Gottehrer in this month’s cover feature, “Getting back to gonioscopy.” 

Diagnostic Value

Gonioscopy “may not be utilized as much as it once was for the diagnosis and management of glaucoma because of the availability of advanced diagnostic imaging technologies," she writes. However, she asserts that gonioscopy remains a valuable diagnostic tool, as it provides a direct and detailed view of the angle. As a result, its use continues to be ideal for aiding the optometrist in identifying angle pigmentation degree, assessing the status of the ciliary body band, the quality and content of the trabecular meshwork width, peripheral anterior synechiae, neovascularization of the angle, and more, Dr. Gottehrer explains.

Facilitating Gonioscopy

In acknowledging that assessing the filtration angle and identifying the angle structures using gonioscopy can be challenging, she provides steps for ODs to facilitate its use. These steps: Choosing a lens/type of procedure, readying themselves and their view, knowing where/what to look for, preparing the patient by, in part, explaining what they can expect to calm their fears, and documenting findings.

Incidentally, in the article “Explaining glaucoma diagnostic devices,” Dr. Julie Torbit recognizes how patient fear can play a role in the accuracy of diagnostic testing and, thus, provides patient scripts for all the glaucoma diagnostic devices to allay these fears.

Guess what else can reduce patient stress and anxiety? Music! Do you subscribe to a music streaming service and/or use a record player at your practice? ;) OM

If you would like to comment on this issue of OM, or send me your work playlist, please do so at Jennifer.Kirby@conexiant.com.