Prevention is the Priority

When glaucoma is left untreated, it can lead to devastating vision problems. In many situations, glaucoma symptoms can go unnoticed until the condition has already progressed to dangerous levels. However, our eye examinations at Town Eye Care are designed to diagnose the first signs of glaucoma and give you a fighting chance for preserving your vision.

If you think you are at risk of glaucoma or if you have been previously diagnosed, it’s important that you are getting regular eye exams with our optometrists.

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What is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma describes a group of eye diseases that have a degenerative effect on the optic nerve. If the optic nerve continues to deteriorate unattended, it can eventually lead to blindness. In many cases, glaucoma results from high intraocular pressure, which can occur for a variety of reasons.

Slowing the progression of glaucoma is our best way of minimizing its impact on your vision. Regular eye exams are the key to staying ahead of this eye disease.

Understanding Glaucoma

Who’s at Risk for Glaucoma?

Risk factors can include:

People over the age of 60
Patients with a family history of glaucoma
People with diabetes or high blood pressure
Those who have experienced prior eye trauma

Testing Your Intraocular Pressure

At Town Eye Care, we use Goldmann tonometry to assess your intraocular pressure (IOP). This technique measures pressure by placing a flat probe against the surface of the eye. Considered the gold standard of eye pressure measurement, the reading is a reliable indicator of IOP.

Types of Glaucoma

There are many types of glaucoma, but the most common types result from excess fluid building up in the eye, which increases IOP. Known as aqueous humor, an abnormal level of this fluid can put damaging pressure on the optic nerve, leading to vision loss.

Open-Angle Glaucoma

The most common type of glaucoma is open-angle glaucoma. It results from improper drainage of aqueous humor due to blockages in the drainage angle between the iris and cornea. There are treatments to prevent total sight loss from this type of glaucoma, but early intervention remains the most effective way to stop it.

Normal-Tension Glaucoma

When the optic nerve is damaged despite normal eye pressure and the eye’s drainage system being functional, we refer to it as normal-tension glaucoma. Like all glaucoma, symptoms can be hidden until it’s too late, so early intervention is the primary tool for prevention.

Acute Angle-Closure Glaucoma

If the angle between the iris and cornea closes, acute angle-closure glaucoma can develop. This type of glaucoma is rare, but the consequences are devastating when left untreated.

Symptoms can occur suddenly and include:

Sudden blurring of vision
Eye pain
Intense headache
Nausea
Vomiting

Acute angle-closure glaucoma is a serious ocular emergency. If you experience the symptoms listed, you should seek medical attention immediately. Call our office and request an emergency appointment or proceed to the nearest emergency room.

Treatments for Glaucoma

Generally, the longer glaucoma goes untreated, the more severe the condition can become. If our testing process determines that you have glaucoma, we’ll begin treatment as soon as possible. The damage done by this disease cannot be reversed, but we can help preserve your vision.

Prescribed Medication

Following a glaucoma diagnosis, the first method of treatment is usually medicated eye drops. Glaucoma medication can also be taken orally. In either circumstance, the goal is to lower intraocular pressure, protecting the optic nerve from further damage.

Eye Surgery

Glaucoma eye surgery attempts to correct the eye’s drainage angle to decrease eye pressure once fluid drains normally. This procedure can be done through laser eye surgery and sometimes with other traditional surgical methods.

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