GLAUCOMA

Glaucoma is a hereditary disease in which increased fluid pressure in the eye causes damage to the optic nerve, which in turn causes a loss of peripheral or side vision. The worst thing about glaucoma, is that it is almost always a "silent" disease, meaning we don't know that we have it, and don't realize we are losing vision until the vision is lost forever.


TREATMENT

 Gluacoma is best treated when caught early and the only way to insure early detection is to have annual eye exams including an evaluation for glaucoma. The most common way to treat glaucoma is the use of eye drops on a daily basis to help lower the pressure of the fluid in the eye. If drops prove ineffective laser and conventional surgeries can be performed.


RISK FACTORS

 There are a number of factors that also put certain people at risk for the disease. These include being over the age of 60, a family history of the disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high intraocular pressure, smoking, and being of African American decent.


WHAT’S NEW

 A recent study by the national eye institute (veiw study here)has shown that the treatment of high eye pressures in individuals who have no signs of nerve damage and no peripheral vision loss may help prevent the onset of glaucoma. This would be especially true in patients who have multiple risk factors (see above) for the disease.
Another important finding in this study was that the thickness of the front of the eye may cause false pressure readings in individuals. This could cause some patients who truly have glaucoma to show low eye pressure and go undetected. Conversely, a thick eye could show abnormally high pressure when no glaucoma is present. This is why at the Vision Clinic we have purchased a device (pachometer) which enables us to measure eye thickness on any patient with abnormally high eye pressure.


OTHER RESOURCES

 glaucoma.org

glaucoma foundation

national eye institute