Glaucoma

What is Glaucoma

Glaucoma is an eye disorder that cause damage to the optic nerve that carries information from the eye to the brain. Glaucoma usually has few or no initial symptoms.

In most cases, glaucoma is associated with higher than normal pressure inside the eye , a condition called ocular hypertension. But it also can occur when intraocular pressure (IOP) is normal. If untreated or uncontrolled, glaucoma first causes peripheral vision loss and eventually can lead to blindness.

And because most cases of glaucoma have few or no early symptoms, about half of people with glaucoma don’t know they have it.
Glaucoma is the second-leading cause of blindness in the Western world (behind macular degeneration), and the second-leading cause of blindness worldwide (behind cataracts).

What's the difference between glaucoma and ocular hypertension?

Ocular hypertension is another term for high eye pressure. In ocular hypertension, IOP is higher than normal but does not cause optic nerve damage and vision loss. Ocular hypertension is a risk factor for glaucoma and should be monitored closely.

Can I have LASIK surgery if I have glaucoma?

People being treated for glaucoma typically are not good candidates for LASIK. This is because a suction device is used on the eye during the creation of the corneal flap during LASIK surgery, and this briefly causes a significant increase in IOP.
But you might be a candidate for another type of vision correction surgery, such as PRK, which does not require the use of a suction device .

Glaucoma’s types

The two major categories of glaucoma are open-angle glaucoma and narrow-angle glaucoma. The "angle" in both cases refers to the drainage angle inside the eye that controls the outflow of the watery fluid (aqueous) that is continually being produced inside the eye.

Symptoms and eye examination

Most types of glaucoma typically cause no pain and produce no symptoms until noticeable vision loss occurs. For this reason, glaucoma often progresses undetected until the optic nerve already has been irreversibly damaged, with varying degrees of permanent vision loss.

Glaucoma Treatments

Treatment can involve glaucoma surgery, lasers or medication, depending on the severity. Eye drops with medication aimed at lowering IOP usually are tried first to control glaucoma. Because glaucoma often is painless, people may become careless about the strict use of eye drops that can control eye pressure and help prevent permanent eye damage.

Aesthetic Ophthalmology

Cosmetic Opthalmology can “turn back time” by reducing the appearance of wrinkles and lines, sun damage and sagging skin that can make your eyes look angry, sad or tired.

LEARN MORE

Refractive Surgery

Refractive surgery includes an array of modern surgical procedures designed to improve vision problems, often eliminating the need for corrective lenses.

LEARN MORE