Glaucoma
Glaucoma the silent thief of Sight
Glaucoma is a common condition which may occur at any age. It tends to occur more in middle aged and older patients. There are several different types of glaucoma, but they all share these features:
Glaucoma damage to the optic nerve results in gradual damage to your side vision. Glaucoma damage progresses if untreated, and the defect in vision enlarges to then affect central vision in the late stage of disease. This damage is irreversible. This is why early detection and treatment is important. Treatment is usually aimed at reducing the pressure of the eye by medications, SLT laser or surgery.
How will I know if I have glaucoma?
Patients at risk should be examined by an ophthalmologist or an optometrist in order to look for signs of glaucoma.
Common risk factors for glaucoma:
How can the specialist tell whether I have glaucoma?
The diagnosis of glaucoma requires careful examination of the eye over time. The shape of the front segment of the eye. the intraocular pressure, and the optic nerve appearance and function is assessed. Your side vision is mapped out (visual field testing) and the health of the optic nerve is assessed using OCT (optical coherence tomography). These tests are sequentially repeated over the course of the disease, often for years, to watch for progression. Progression will require your treatment to be stepped up.
I have been told I have glaucoma. What can be done about it?
Once the diagnosis of glaucoma is made, the goal of treatment is slow down the damage to the optic nerve. This is usually achieved by reduction of the intraocular pressure. In some patients the pressure is higher than normal to begin with, and in others the pressure is never above normal range, Reducing the intraocular pressure can be achieved with the use of eye drops, laser or surgery. The choice of treatment depends on the type of glaucoma and the patient’s health, age and level of damage already caused to the optic nerve. Newer treatments called minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) can now be combined with cataract surgery to decrease the reliance of drops to reduce eye pressure.
I have been told I have glaucoma. Does this mean I will go blind?
The vast majority of patients with chronic glaucoma maintain good vision for life with treatment. This is due to the improvements in early detection and treatment of glaucoma in the past few decades. However, in some patients, glaucoma can lead to blindness, and glaucoma is still a leading cause of blindness in large populations around the world. In general, early detection and maintaining a good treatment and regular follow up routine reduces this risk to a very low level.
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Glaucoma is a common condition which may occur at any age. It tends to occur more in middle aged and older patients. There are several different types of glaucoma, but they all share these features:
Glaucoma damage to the optic nerve results in gradual damage to your side vision. Glaucoma damage progresses if untreated, and the defect in vision enlarges to then affect central vision in the late stage of disease. This damage is irreversible. This is why early detection and treatment is important. Treatment is usually aimed at reducing the pressure of the eye by medications, SLT laser or surgery.
How will I know if I have glaucoma?
Patients at risk should be examined by an ophthalmologist or an optometrist in order to look for signs of glaucoma.
Common risk factors for glaucoma:
- Family history of glaucoma
- High eye pressures
- Thin corneas
- Older age (over 40)
- Short sightedness (myopia)
- Long sightedness (hypermetropia) with shallow anterior chambers
- Long term use of steroid medications
- Previous injury to the eye or complicated eye surgery
- Certain eye diseases e.g. pigment dispersion or pseudo-exfoliation
How can the specialist tell whether I have glaucoma?
The diagnosis of glaucoma requires careful examination of the eye over time. The shape of the front segment of the eye. the intraocular pressure, and the optic nerve appearance and function is assessed. Your side vision is mapped out (visual field testing) and the health of the optic nerve is assessed using OCT (optical coherence tomography). These tests are sequentially repeated over the course of the disease, often for years, to watch for progression. Progression will require your treatment to be stepped up.
I have been told I have glaucoma. What can be done about it?
Once the diagnosis of glaucoma is made, the goal of treatment is slow down the damage to the optic nerve. This is usually achieved by reduction of the intraocular pressure. In some patients the pressure is higher than normal to begin with, and in others the pressure is never above normal range, Reducing the intraocular pressure can be achieved with the use of eye drops, laser or surgery. The choice of treatment depends on the type of glaucoma and the patient’s health, age and level of damage already caused to the optic nerve. Newer treatments called minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) can now be combined with cataract surgery to decrease the reliance of drops to reduce eye pressure.
I have been told I have glaucoma. Does this mean I will go blind?
The vast majority of patients with chronic glaucoma maintain good vision for life with treatment. This is due to the improvements in early detection and treatment of glaucoma in the past few decades. However, in some patients, glaucoma can lead to blindness, and glaucoma is still a leading cause of blindness in large populations around the world. In general, early detection and maintaining a good treatment and regular follow up routine reduces this risk to a very low level.
Contact us