The water-drinking test: a review

Abstract

The water-drinking test (WDT) was first described as a diagnostic tool for glaucoma, which was later abandoned due to its poor diagnostic accuracy. This test has gained significant interest in recent years as different studies have shown its use as a surrogate for detecting patients who have intraocular pressure (IOP) spikes not detected during regular office hours. According to peer-reviewed literature, IOP peak detected by the WDT positively correlates with the severity of visual field defects in glaucoma and may be predictive of visual field progression. It was demonstrated that IOP peaks during the WDT are correlated and are in agreement with IOP peaks that normally occur during the day. The WDT has also been used to evaluate the quality of different clinical and surgical treatment options in glaucoma. The main objective of this article is to present and discuss these evidences and the applicability of the WDT as an assessment tool for glaucomatous disease.

Keywords::

• aqueous humor dynamics
• glaucoma
• intraocular pressure
• stress testing

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.