What is Glaucoma? | Diagnosis and Treatmeant

What is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is an ocular disease that affects 3% of people between the ages of 40 and 80 every year. It begins when fluid starts to fill up near the front of the eye, causing the pressure around the optic nerve to rise. Eventually this damages the optic nerve resulting in blindness. In fact, glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness for people over 60 years old. It’s symptoms are faint and can only be detected with the proper medical equipment. Therefore, catching it early on is imperative to preventing lasting damage.

How Are We Treating Glaucoma Today?

The first step to treatment is diagnosis. Often the only way to detect glaucoma is with a complete eye exam since most of its symptoms can only be detected once the disease has progressed significantly. We take many factors into consideration, such as family history, when performing your diagnosis. If you do have a history of glaucoma we suggest getting a complete exam every 3 years minimum. Our eye exams test the pressure around and the condition of the optic nerve.

Once you have been diagnosed you may decide to undergo medical therapy or surgical procedures.

Medical Therapy

Medical therapy offers solutions such as eye drops or medication that can decrease pressure and improve drainage. However, this is often only a temporary way to diminish the symptoms.

Surgical Procedures

Laser and incisional procedures are available for glaucoma treatment. These treatment can drain fluid from the eye or reduce fluid generation. Unfortunately, every surgical procedure comes with it’s own set of risks, so talk with your ophthalmologist before deciding what kind of treatment you would like.

Our optometrists at Accent Eye Care will gladly help you find a quality surgeon and work with you every step of the way. Call us today at 602-547-3255 to learn more about our ocular condition treatments.