Glaucoma Management

Glaucoma is a disease in which eyesight is permanently damaged due to increased eye pressure & many other factors. This is a dangerous disease because in the majority of cases patient does not feel any symptoms. Suddenly he/ she comes to know that he/ she has lost significant eyesight. This is common in persons who are wearing a high number of glasses, have Diabetes mellitus, have a family history of glaucoma, etc. We recommend that every person should get his/ her complete eye examination once a year after the age of 40. If this disease is diagnosed in the early stages, it can be treated by medicines only. If not controlled by medicines laser & surgery are other options.

FAQs

Glaucoma is the term used to describe a number of related conditions that cause damage to the optic nerve, which transmits information from the eye to the brain. It usually (but not always) is associated with high intraocular pressure (IOP). Left untreated, glaucoma can cause blindness.

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.

The “puff test” that most people are familiar with is a screening test that measures IOP. But the gold standard for measuring eye pressure is applanation tonometry. In this glaucoma test, an eye drop is used to numb the surface of your eye and a small probe rests gently on your cornea to measure IOP.
Your doctor may also want to check for optic nerve damage by dilating your eyes or to check for vision loss with a visual field test

If you’re over age 60, African-American, diabetic, or have a family member with glaucoma, you are at higher risk for glaucoma than others.
Watch this video that explains what glaucoma is and who is at risk for the disease. (Video: National Eye Institute)

Though it’s unclear whether glaucoma can be prevented, you might be able to reduce your risk for the disease by maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
“Current research is suggesting that optic nerve nutrition can be enhanced with certain drugs and also with certain nutritional agents, like ginkgo biloba,” says Dr. Burt Dubow, optometrist and AllAboutVision.com board member.
“My suggestion would be to avoid smoking and excessive alcohol, eat a healthy diet, keep your weight down, exercise, take nutritional products, and be sure to see your eye specialist on a regular basis.”

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.

The “puff test” that most people are familiar with is a screening test that measures IOP. However, the gold standard for measuring eye pressure is application tonometry. In this glaucoma test, an eye drop is used to numb the surface of your eye and a small probe rests gently on your cornea to measure IOP.

There are usually no signs that you’re developing glaucoma until vision loss occurs, which is why it’s so important to have regular eye exams. Your eye doctor can detect and treat high IOP before it progresses to optic nerve damage and vision loss.

Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is the most common form of glaucoma. The other types are normal-tension, narrow-angle, closed-angle, congenital, pigmentary, and secondary.

Vision loss from glaucoma cannot be reversed. Routine eye exams are essential to discover glaucoma early and begin glaucoma treatment before significant vision loss has occurred.

Doctors usually prescribe special glaucoma eye drops that reduce intraocular pressure. These are used one or several times a day, depending on the medication. If the drops don’t work, surgery may be the next step. In some cases, surgery might be the first option for glaucoma treatment.

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.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us at our email ID info@ anandeyehospital.com