Diagnosis

To diagnose your condition, your doctor will review your symptoms and medical history, conduct a physical examination, and order tests.

Eye exams

If pseudotumor cerebri is suspected, a doctor trained in eye conditions (ophthalmologist) will look for a distinctive type of swelling affecting the optic nerve in the back of your eye.

You'll also undergo a visual field test to see if there are any blind spots in your vision besides your so-called normal blind spot in each eye where the optic nerve enters the retina. And you'll likely have photos taken of your eyes and an imaging test to measure the thickness of the layers of your retina (optical coherence tomography).

Brain imaging

Your doctor is likely to order an MRI or CT scan. These tests can rule out other problems that can cause similar symptoms, such as brain tumors and blood clots.

Spinal tap (lumbar puncture)

Your doctor might order a lumbar puncture to measure the pressure inside your skull and analyze your spinal fluid. In this test, a specialist inserts a needle between two vertebrae in your lower back and removes a small amount of cerebrospinal fluid for testing in the laboratory.