Glaucoma

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is one of tahe leading causes of blindness in the United States. It is a disease of athe optic nerve caused by the build up of a fluid called aqueous humor, which causes too much intraocular pressure (IOP) inside the eye. This pressure damiages the optic nerve fibers, which leads to the development of blind spots in your field of vision. These blind spots usually go undetected until the optic merve is significantly damaged. Early detectin and treatment are the keys to preventing vision loss from glaucoma.

There are two types of glaucoma: open-angle glaucoma and closed-angle glaucoma. Open-angle glaucoma is the more common form, in which your eye becomes less efficient at draining aqueous humor over time. Closed-angle glaucoma is less common but more urgent. With closed-angle glaucoma, the drainage angle is blocked by the iris so that pressure in the eye builds up very quickly and is a medical emergency.

What are the risk factors for glaucoma?

Risk factors for glaucoma include age, family history; elevated eye pressure (IOP); nearsightedness or farsightedness; African, Hispanic or Asian ancestry; diabetes; previous eye injury; thin corneas and low blood pressure.

What are the treatment options for glaucoma?

Medicine: Open-angle glaucoma is usually treated with eyedrops that lower the IOP.

Laser treatment: Trabeculectomy and iridotomy are laser procedures used to treat open-angle glaucoma and closed- angle glaucoma respectively.

Surgery: Trabeculectomy and setons are two surgical procedures commonly used to lower eye pressure and prevent vision loss from glaucoma.

Glaucoma is controllable. Vision loss usually can be prevented if detected and treated early. If you are prescribed eyedrops for glaucoma, you must take them regularly.