Goldmann Visual Fields

Purpose:

To test the extent of the peripheral vision.

Procedure:

The patient is tested one eye at a time with the other eye covered by a patch. The patient places their chin on a chin-rest and looks at the centre of a bowl-shaped screen. A light is brought from the edge of the screen towards the centre and the patient presses a button when they first see the light appear in their peripheral vision. This is repeated in order to map out the whole of the peripheral vision. The size and brightness of the stimulus light is changed and the process repeated. Having traced the periphery of the vision, we will also check if there are any weak areas of vision within the field of view.

How Long Does This Take?

The test normally takes 45 minutes - 1 hour. The report can be drawn up after the test and may be taken by the patient if neccessary. Otherwise the report may be posted or emailed to the referring doctor.

DVLA Visual Fields

We are unable to perform visual field testing for the DVLA. Please contact them directly for further information about their testing procedure. For further information about vision requirements for driving, please click here

Additional Information:

It can test the entire field of vision
It uses kinetic rather than static testing