Learn about glaucoma

Glaucoma is the 2nd leading cause of blindness in the United States!

Those words were enough to get my attention so I wanted to know more!  What is glaucoma? How do you recognize the warning signs? What can you do to keep it from progressing?

Glaucoma is a disease that damages the optic nerve, a bundle of about 1 million individual nerves that transmit the visual signals from the eye to the brain. Pretty important wouldn’t you say? Glaucoma usually happens because fluid builds up in the front part of the eye and causes an increase in the eye’s pressure. The most common type of glaucoma is called primary open-angle glaucoma and it happens when the eye doesn’t drain fluid as it should. Think of it as a drain becoming gradually clogged. This type of glaucoma is painless but causes a gradual loss of vision.

Check out this great video from the American Academy of Ophthalmology explaining glaucoma:

There aren’t any warning signs in the early stages of open-angle glaucoma. By the time most people notice any changes to their vision the damage has been done and it can be severe. That’s why it’s important to have regular eye exams with an eye care provider, such as an optometrist or ophthalmologist, so they can detect this disease before you lose your vision! There is no cure for glaucoma but monitoring and treating high eye pressure can control it.

Another type of glaucoma is angle-closure glaucoma. It’s rare but it is a medical emergency! Angle-closure glaucoma symptoms include eye pain with nausea and sudden visual disturbances. When this type happens, the drainage angle gets completely blocked and eye pressure rises very quickly. This is considered an eye emergency, and you should call your ophthalmologist right away or you could go blind.

Risks factors for glaucoma include family history of the disease, being an African American over 40, or a Hispanic over 60. Other risk factors include being diabetic, having high blood pressure or heart disease, having a thinner cornea, chronic eye inflammation, or taking certain medications that increase eye pressure.

Treatments for glaucoma don’t cure the disease but can help stop it from progressing. These glaucoma treatments include eyedrop medication to reduce eye pressure, laser treatment, or conventional surgery. Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty or SLT uses a laser to vaporize the pigment that may be affecting the cells in the drainage system to lower the intraocular pressure. Conventional surgery consists of making a drainage flap or inserting a drainage tube to reduce the pressure in the eye.

Here at Potthoff Eye Care & Surgery in Traverse City, MI we have the most up-to-date equipment to test for and diagnose glaucoma….schedule an appointment today!