Glaucoma happens when the pressure in your eye is too high and then it results in damage to the optic nerve (in the back of your eye). That’s a real problem because it’s nerve tissue so if it happens, it’s permanent vision loss. The real tricky part about this is that usually you don’t have ANY signs or symptoms that this is going on until it’s progressed into moderate or severe stage damage!
How is it possible that I wouldn’t notice the pressure being too high? You don’t feel pressure in your eyes like you do in any other parts of your body, so there isn’t a big red flag alerting you about this. The damage will start affecting side vision first so again, with both eyes open, you won’t really notice anything is significantly wrong at the early stages.
Most people with glaucoma have a form called open-angle glaucoma, where fluid drains too slowly from the eye and pressure builds gradually. A less common form, angle-closure glaucoma, can develop more suddenly and is treated as more urgent. Either type is managed the same way at first: catching it early through regular comprehensive eye exams, since there is currently no cure, only management to slow further damage.
Glaucoma can happen across any part in your lifetime, including congenital glaucoma (you’re born with it) and up to 100+ years old! However, generally speaking age is a risk factor and it goes up as you get older. Risk factors we consider during your comprehensive eye exam include:
We’ll review those when you’re in the office if they apply to you.
There are multiple tests that we do during the comprehensive eye exam to check for this. If one of them isn’t in line with the expected measurement parameters we’ll talk about a couple of other special tests that we will have you come back for on another day to help determine if you have glaucoma or not, if it needs to be treated now or not and what frequency of followup is needed to manage it. We’re big on patient education so all of the details that are specific to your individual situation will be addressed as the tests are completed!
Treatment for glaucoma includes several choices and continues to expand with current and recent research! Historically, glaucoma was treated with prescription eye drops and those different medications target different receptors in your eye to lower the pressure to try to ultimately slow down the damage to the optic nerve. However, the treatment choices have continued to evolve and there are also laser treatments, micro-invasive surgical techniques and some other more involved surgery options that are also available (if needed). This is an ongoing continuous area of interest and research within the field so it’s constantly evolving. We’ll review the options and what is the best for your individual situation if we decide that it needs to be treated. There are pros and cons to each option and we can discuss which is the best for you if needed.
At Advanced Eye Care Professionals, we partner with you to protect the health of your eyes and your vision. Learn more about glaucoma by calling our office or by scheduling an appointment online.
Are you ready to up-level your eye care experience? Reach out to Advanced Eye Care Professionals for more information about our services. We’re happy to help!
