What Is Glaucoma Disease?
Glaucoma is a common eye condition in which your optic nerve, the bundle of nerves at the back of the eye, that feeds visual information to the brain, is damaged because of high inner eye pressure, known as intraocular pressure. This condition can lead to total permanent blindness in a short amount of time if it is not treated properly. Furthermore, glaucoma usually has no noticeable symptoms, and patients diagnosed with glaucoma usually note that they do not feel or notice anything unusual about their vision at all. So, what can be done to detect glaucoma, and how can you prevent it?
Treatment For Glaucoma
Treatment for glaucoma is typically some combination of medication, surgery, and of course, prevention. Prescription medications or surgical procedures can stabilize intraocular pressure and slow down the progression, preventing additional vision loss. We will conduct a thorough exam and create a course of action for your exact condition.
Prescription eye drops that lower intraocular pressure are typically the first thing the doctor will advise. Certain eye drops may cause some uncomfortable side effects, but stick with it – the treatment is necessary to retain your remaining vision and stop it from getting worse.
Surgery is intended to improve your eye’s ability to naturally drain fluid or lower the amount of fluid it produces. The doctor may recommend both medication and surgery to boost your odds of successful treatment.
Glaucoma Prevention
The most important aspect of glaucoma prevention is awareness – know what the risk factors are and take extra care to schedule regular eye exams.
Glaucoma does not discriminate and anyone can develop the disease. However, there are certain people who are more at risk, such as:
- African Americans who are older than 40 are 6-8 times more likely to develop glaucoma
- Certain types of medications, like steroids, increase the risk of glaucoma
- Diabetic patients
- People of Asian, Hispanic, or Latino descent
- People over the age of 60
- People with a family history of the disease
- People with high degrees of myopia (nearsightedness)
- Severe eye injury, even if the incident happened many years before
- Advanced cataracts can increase intraocular pressure (IOP), resulting in glaucoma
If you or a loved one fits any of these categories, frequent eye examinations are recommended.
What Is The Latest Research On Glaucoma Disease?
Our eye doctor is up to date on the latest research and medical technologies which are used to slow down the development of glaucoma and its effects. There are new, promising techniques with the use of very small implants, which can help excess fluid in the eye more easily drain, relieving the IOP which is at the root of glaucoma.
Because glaucoma is a leading cause of vision loss and blindness, doctors and researchers are constantly pursuing new avenues of treatment, clinical trials, and new technology that can provide relief for this condition. New research suggests that Optic Nerve Regeneration may be able to regrow nerve fibers that send signals to the brain for visual processing.
