Visual field test in Medellín: computerized perimetry
The test that measures everything you see around the point you are looking at, used to monitor glaucoma, study the optic nerve and check the effects of some medications
Perimetry, or a computerized visual field test, shows whether there are areas of your field of vision you are not picking up, even when you do not notice it yourself. It is painless, in most cases it needs no drops, and it takes 5 to 10 minutes per eye. MDE Care is not a clinic: we coordinate your test, the consultation with the specialist who reads it and your follow-up visits in Medellín.
You look at a fixed point
and press a button each time you see a light
Why were you asked for a visual field test?
The reason changes the type of test, how to prepare and whether it usually comes with another exam. Answer and we will explain it, with a guide price.
1Why were you asked to have it?
2Is this your first time?
Test usually ordered
24-2 visual field, both eyes
It is the routine test to monitor glaucoma: it shows whether optic nerve damage is affecting your vision and whether it progresses over time. Since this is your first time, this exam may serve as a baseline and be repeated to confirm it.
How to prepare
- Bring your glasses or your prescription
- Get a good night of sleep before
- The pupil is usually not dilated
Does it come with an OCT?
Yes, that is the usual approach. The optic nerve OCT shows the structure of the nerve and the visual field shows how your vision works: together they say more than either one alone.
Guide price
COP 980,000to COP 1,300,000
Visual field of both eyes + Optic nerve OCT + specialist consultation. Includes the consultation to read the result.
* Guide prices, confirmed at the assessment. Guide result, not a diagnosis: the exact test is set by whoever signs the order.
How much does a visual field test cost in Medellín?
Choose whether it is for one eye or both, whether your order includes an OCT and whether you want the consultation to read the result. We show you the guide total in pesos or in US dollars.
First, the medical order or the assessment
The visual field test is done with an order from your ophthalmologist or neurologist that says which test you need. If you do not have one, we start with an ophthalmologist consultation to define it.
What is included
- Computerized visual field of both eyes, with the test your order specifies
- Report with maps and indices for your doctor
What changes the price
- Whether it is for one eye or both
- Whether your order adds an OCT
- Whether you want a consultation to read the result
- How many times a year your doctor orders it
- The diagnostic center assigned
1. Computerized visual field
2. Does your order include an OCT?
3. Do you want the consultation to read the result?
4. How many times a year?
In the first years of glaucoma it is common to repeat the visual field several times to confirm changes. The specialist decides how many.
Guide total
COP 260,000to COP 300,000
Visual field of both eyes
Breakdown
- Computerized visual field, both eyesCOP 260,000 to COP 300,000
* Guide prices, confirmed at the assessment. The US dollar conversion is for reference only. Guide result, not a diagnosis.
What perimetry, or a visual field test, is
Your field of vision is everything you can see while you look steadily at one point: the center and also what lies to the sides, above and below. That outer part is what we call peripheral vision.
Perimetry, also called a computerized visual field test, measures how well you pick up small lights in each area of that field. The result is a map that shows whether there are areas where sensitivity is low.
Many visual field losses start at the sides and the brain fills them in, so they can go unnoticed for years. The test finds them before you notice them.
Glaucoma
It is the key test to know whether glaucoma is damaging vision and whether the damage progresses over time.
Optic nerve and brain
The shape of the loss helps tell whether the problem is in the eye, in the optic nerve or in the visual pathway inside the brain.
Medications and eyelids
It is used to monitor the retina in people who take hydroxychloroquine and to measure how much a droopy eyelid blocks vision.
24-2, 10-2, 30-2 and Esterman: what your order means
The number shows how much of the visual field is checked. Each one answers a different question.
The most widely used
Checks the central and middle area of the visual field of each eye. It is the routine test for glaucoma and the most common in optic nerve workups.
The center in detail
Looks only at the center, with more points. It is ordered when the damage is close to the point you look at and to monitor hydroxychloroquine.
A little wider
Similar to the 24-2 but reaches a little further to the sides. Some specialists prefer it in neurological workups.
Esterman, with both eyes
It is done with both eyes open at the same time and measures how wide your field is for daily life. It is used in functional assessments, such as before surgery for a droopy eyelid.
How the visual field test is done
- 1
You sit in front of the device. You rest your chin and forehead in front of a white bowl. One eye is covered and the other is tested first.
- 2
Your correction is set. If you wear glasses, the device uses a lens with your prescription so you see clearly up close during the test.
- 3
You look at a fixed point in the center. The whole time. You do not need to search for the lights with your eyes: the device checks that you do not move your gaze.
- 4
You press a button each time you see a light. Small lights appear in different places, some bright and others very faint. It is normal not to see many of them.
- 5
Switch eyes and you are done. Each eye takes 5 to 10 minutes. With the preparation, the whole visit takes 20 to 30 minutes.
How to prepare for a visual field test
You do not need to fast or have any tests beforehand. What matters most is arriving rested and with your correction.
Bring your glasses
And your prescription if you can. If you wear contact lenses, ask when booking whether to come with them or with glasses.
Sleep well
The test requires sustained attention. Tiredness and sleepiness are among the most common causes of an unreliable result.
Dilation is rarely needed
Dilating drops are usually not used. If you will also be dilated that day, the visual field is usually done first.
Bring your previous results
The medical order, your previous visual fields and your list of medications. Comparing with earlier tests is what gives the new one the most value.
How to read your visual field results
The printout has maps and numbers that look alarming at first. This is what each part means, in plain language. The final interpretation is always made by your ophthalmologist, together with the rest of your exam.
| Reliability | The first thing to check. It counts the times you moved your gaze (fixation losses), pressed without seeing a light (false positives) or did not respond to a light you had already seen (false negatives). If they go over a certain limit, the test is flagged as unreliable. |
|---|---|
| Grayscale map | An easy picture to read: the dark areas are where you saw less. It gives a general idea, but it is not used on its own to make decisions. |
| Probability maps | They compare each point with people your age. The darker squares show the points that fall outside what is expected. |
| MD, mean deviation | Summarizes how far your field is, on average, from normal for your age. The more negative it is, the greater the overall loss. |
| PSD, pattern standard deviation | Shows whether the loss is concentrated in one area, as happens in glaucoma, or spread across the whole field. |
| VFI, visual field index | A percentage of how much of the field is working. It is useful for tracking changes from one follow-up to the next. |
| Glaucoma hemifield test | Compares the upper half with the lower half and gives a phrase such as "within normal limits" or "outside normal limits". |
What is a normal visual field test?
A reliable test, with indices within what is expected for your age and no cluster of abnormal points in the same area. Everyone has a normal blind spot, which shows up on the map next to the center.
If it came back abnormal
It is not a diagnosis on its own. The specialist compares it with the eye pressure, the appearance of the optic nerve and the OCT, and often asks to repeat it to confirm.
Why the visual field sometimes has to be repeated
Being asked to repeat it does not mean you did something wrong. It is part of how the test works.
Learning effect
The first time is harder. It is common for the second test to come out better just because you already know what it is like.
Low reliability
If the reliability indices went over the limit, the result cannot be used to make decisions and the test is repeated.
Confirming a finding
A new defect is confirmed with another test before changing a treatment.
Seeing whether it progresses
In glaucoma, comparing several fields over time is what shows whether the damage continues or has stopped.
Confrontation or computerized visual field test
Both measure the field of vision, but they are not used for the same thing.
| Confrontation | Computerized | |
|---|---|---|
| How it is done | The doctor sits in front of you, covers one of your eyes and asks you to count fingers or say when you see their hand at the sides. | A device shows lights of different intensity at dozens of points and records your responses. |
| What it detects | Large or marked losses. | Small and early losses that confrontation cannot pick up. |
| Result | A note in the medical record. | A report with maps and indices that can be compared over time. |
| When it is used | As a quick check during the consultation. | For diagnosis and follow-up: glaucoma, optic nerve, medications, eyelids. |
| Cost | Included in the consultation. | COP 260,000 to COP 300,000 both eyes, guide price. |
The visual field test at a glance
| Price, both eyes | COP 260,000 to COP 300,000, guide price |
|---|---|
| Price, one eye | About COP 200,000, guide price |
| Duration | 5 to 10 minutes per eye; the visit, 20 to 30 minutes |
| Dilation | Usually not |
| What to bring | Glasses, medical order and previous visual fields |
| Often paired with | Optic nerve OCT for glaucoma; macular OCT with hydroxychloroquine. COP 200,000 per eye |
Why coordinate your visual field test with MDE Care
We are not a clinic: we are your coordination team. We connect you with diagnostic centers and eye specialists in Medellín.
Test and reading, in order
We book the visual field, the OCT if you need it and the consultation to read the result, with no back and forth.
Clear price before you go
You know what each test and the consultation cost from the first message.
Follow-up over time
If your case needs follow-up visits, we remind you of the dates and keep track of your tests.
Organizations that support our work
How we coordinate your visual field test
A guided process from your first message to the reading of your result.
Send us your order
On WhatsApp, with a photo. If you do not have an order, we help you with the consultation.
We book it
Visual field and, if included, the OCT on the same day.
You take the test
20 to 30 minutes in total, painless.
You get the report
With the maps and indices for your doctor.
Reading with the specialist
If you want it, we coordinate the consultation to interpret it.
Most common questions about the visual field test
What is perimetry and what is it for?
How much does a visual field test cost in Medellín?
How long does the visual field test take?
Do my pupils need to be dilated for a visual field test?
What is a confrontation visual field test?
How do I know if my visual field test was normal?
Why am I asked to repeat the visual field test?
What is the difference between a visual field test and an OCT?
Do you already have your visual field test order?
Send us a photo and we will tell you the price and the nearest available date in Medellín.
Other eye tests and specialists
Ready to book your visual field test?
Write to us with your order or your reason. We coordinate the visual field, the OCT if included and the consultation to read the result in Medellín, with a clear price from the first message.