Glaucoma
What is glaucoma?
Glaucoma is an eye condition that damages the optic nerves. Usually this is caused by high pressure building up due to fluid in the front of the eye. When the optic nerves are damaged, they will stop working. This casues "blind spots" in your pheripheral vision. As more of these fibers get damaged and die, it can lead to complete blindness.
Who is at risk for glaucoma?
- Age
- Family history of glaucoma
- Have high eye pressure
- Have had an eye injury
- Use of long term steroid medicaitons
- Have other medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or poor blood circulation
How is glaucoma diagnosed?
In some cases there are no symptoms for glaucoma, and for some symptoms include: blurry vision, severe eye pain, headaches, nausea, seeing rainbow-colored rings or halos around lights.
For this reason, patients who are suspected to have glaucoma should have regular eye exams.
These exams will measure your intraocular pressure, inspect the eye drainage angle, examine the optic nerve, and measure the thickness of your cornea. Glacuoma suspect patients may also be asked to complete a Visual Field test which tests your peripheral vision.
What are the treatment options for glaucoma?
Glaucoma is typically treated with eye drop medication. In some cases laser treatment may be recommended to lower the intraocular pressure, and in extreme cases surgery may be needed.