Glaucoma

What is glaucoma?

You have two optic nerves, one connecting each eye to your brain. Your optic nerves send visual information to your brain. Glaucoma is a disease that affects your optic nerves.

Glaucoma results from increased pressure on your optic nerves, which can become worse as the disease progresses. Your eyes produce a fluid that regulates the pressure in your eye.

In healthy eyes, this fluid freely enters and drains from the space between your cornea and iris. If this fluid has difficulty draining from your eyes, it can build up in the space between your cornea and iris, causing increased pressure in your eyes, which can gradually damage the optic nerves.

Glaucoma often affects both eyes, but it usually causes greater pressure in one eye first.

What are the symptoms of glaucoma?

Glaucoma doesn’t cause early symptoms. By the time the disease has had a noticeable effect, it’s usually already caused permanent vision damage.

Glaucoma usually causes a noticeable loss in your side vision first. If left untreated, it can lead to blindness in one or both eyes. Your best defense against glaucoma is to get regular eye exams, including a glaucoma screening.

Glaucoma runs in families, as some people are genetically prone to optic nerve damage or elevated eye pressure. In addition to a family history of the disease, risk factors for glaucoma can include:

• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Nearsightedness
• Past traumatic eye injury or eye surgery

If you have any of these risk factors, you should get screened for glaucoma at least once every two years starting at age 40. All people age 65 or older should be screened at least once every two years as well. Even if you don’t have risk factors, it’s a good idea to get screened once every four years beginning at age 40.

How is glaucoma treated?

Though you can’t reverse vision loss from glaucoma, treatment can preserve your remaining vision by reducing eye pressure. Treatment may involve:

Prescription Eye Drops

Prescription eye drops can decrease fluid production in your eyes or promote the draining of fluid in your eyes.

Laser Surgery

Laser surgery can create better drainage angles in your eyes and reduce pressure.

Microsurgery

Microsurgery can create entirely new channels for fluid to flow out of your eyes.

Though glaucoma isn’t curable, early detection can help you control the disease and slow damage to your vision. To schedule a comprehensive eye exam or to learn about treatment options, book an appointment online or over the phone with Dr. Wayne H. Martin, MD today.