Glaucoma Treatment Helps Prevent Permanent Vision Loss

Nerve damage coupled with fluid buildup in the eye causes glaucoma. In addition, the pressure in the eyes can permanently damage vision if left untreated. Thus, the second principal reason for blindness globally is glaucoma. Glaucoma surgery treats the condition besides eye drops and laser treatment to slow down vision loss.

What Is Glaucoma?

When describing a set of eye disorders responsible for damaging the optic nerve, the term used is glaucoma. It is the most common cause of vision loss from optic nerve damage. If you are affected by glaucoma, the front part of the eye is where fluid builds up. The extra pressure in the eye is called intraocular pressure.

You may have normal eye pressure and still develop glaucoma. Untreated or poorly controlled glaucoma causes permanent and irreversible vision loss and blindness.

What Are the Symptoms of Glaucoma?

Symptoms of glaucoma are challenging to determine because they tend to develop subtly and gradually. If you are affected by open-angle glaucoma, you may have no noticeable symptoms in the early stages, making it incredibly essential for you to undergo routine eye exams from the optometrist in Monterey, CA. The optometrist can determine whether you have any type of glaucoma affecting you can refer you to a specialist for further treatment.

Regardless of the type of glaucoma you are affected by, you experience:

• Pressure or pain in the eyes.
• Headaches.
• Low, blurred, and narrowed vision or blind spots.
• Halos resembling rainbows around lights.
• Vomiting and nausea.
• Red eyes.

What Causes Glaucoma?

The most crucial factor leading to the cause of glaucoma is intraocular pressure in the eyes, although glaucoma occurs without any reason. The drainage of the aqueous humour fluid produced by the eye for nourishment keeps the eye healthy. However, in glaucoma, the canals draining the fluid become clogged with microscopic deposits. The clogging of the drainage canals allows the fluid to build up in the eye, putting extra pressure on them. The higher eye pressure damages the optic nerve resulting in the development of glaucoma eventually.

Glaucoma Diagnosis

You may have glaucoma without realizing it. Regular exams from eye MD Monterey are essential to detect glaucoma and other eye problems to assess optic health and vision loss.

When checking for glaucoma, the eye doctor may perform one of the following painless tests:

Ocular eye pressure test to measure eye pressure, pachymetry test to measure corneal thickness, dilated eye exam to widen pupils and view the optic nerve located at the back of the eyes, optical coherence tomography looking for changes in the optic nerve indicating glaucoma, and visual field test checking for changes in peripheral vision. If the eye doctor suspects you have this issue affecting you, referrals are provided to a glaucoma specialist near you for further treatment.

Management And Treatment of Glaucoma

Glaucoma left untreated leads to faster development of vision loss permanently or blindness. Glaucoma treatment in Monterey, CA, looks to provide treatments to slow down additional vision loss. However, they cannot restore lost vision. Therefore you must see your eye doctor immediately if you have eye pain, vision problems, and severe headaches.

Treatments for glaucoma include the following:

Prescription eye drops help to decrease fluids in the eye and increase drainage to alleviate eye pressure. In addition, there are various eyedrop medications available to treat this condition. However, glaucoma is a lifelong problem making it essential for you to use the eyedrops for life every day.

Your doctor may use an intense beam of light (laser) to help remove the fluids from your eye. Lasers complement using eyedrops but may not replace them entirely. The results from laser treatments vary but can provide relief for up to five years.

Surgery is another option to help reduce eye pressure. Surgery is invasive but helps achieve better eye pressure control faster than eye drops or laser. Surgery can also slow down vision loss but doesn’t cure glaucoma entirely or restore lost vision. Eye doctors may decide to perform different surgeries for glaucoma depending on the severity of the condition affecting you.

What Can You Expect If You Have Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a chronic and progressive condition often causing some degree of vision loss over time. The earlier you have glaucoma detected and start treatments, the better your chances of saving your vision. Glaucoma treatment can slow the progression of the disease and vision loss. If you are at a high risk of glaucoma, you must have regular eye exams.