Glaucoma Specialist

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is the name given to a set of conditions that all have one thing in common: damage to the optic nerve, a vital part of your eye.

When your eyes are healthy, they have fluid moving through them constantly. But sometimes, a blockage can occur in the eye, causing fluid to accumulate and pressure will build on the optic nerve.

If left untreated, glaucoma can lead to further vision problems and even blindness in just a few short years.

Am I likely to get glaucoma?

No one is exactly sure what causes these blockages in the eye to occur, but there are several risk factors you should know about.

People who are more likely to get glaucoma include:

• African Americans
• Anyone with a family history of glaucoma, especially their parents
• Anyone over 40 years old
• People with a history of vision problems
• People with diabetes
• People who have previously had a physical or chemical injury to the eye

If you meet one or more of these criteria, you should get frequent eye exams to help catch glaucoma early.

What are the symptoms of glaucoma?

Most people don’t experience any symptoms in the early stages of glaucoma, meaning the disease can become quite advanced before you even know something is wrong. Because of this, it’s important to get an eye exam every two years so your doctor can see if you are in the early stages of the condition.

One of the first signs to look out for is a decrease in your peripheral vision that comes on gradually and gets steadily worse over time.

In more severe cases, you can experience:

• Eye pain
• Redness in the eye
• A hazy or cloudy eye
• Seeing a soft “halo” around light sources
• Nausea or vomiting
• Tunnel vision

If you experience any of these more severe symptoms, you should see a doctor immediately.

What are my treatment options?

The first and least-invasive option is using medicated eye drops to increase the flow of fluid through the eyes.

If a more direct approach is necessary, but your doctor still only needs to make a small change to your eye, then laser surgery could be an option to clear the blockage.

The most aggressive option is microsurgery, where your doctor creates a new channel in your eye for fluid to move through. While this carries the risks of all surgeries, including inflection and bleeding, it’s effective with even the most severe cases of glaucoma.

If you are concerned you may have glaucoma, call today to make an appointment for an eye exam or use the online scheduling tool.