This article discusses an overview on what glaucoma is, the symptoms of this eye disease and how to tell if you are at risk. Read on to learn more about how a glaucoma doctor can help.
Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness and is often referred to as a silent thief of sight because it can creep up on its victims without any obvious symptoms until signs of blindness appear. Glaucoma itself isn't just one disease; it's actually a cluster of eye conditions that can cause optic nerve damage,
which in turn causes a loss of vision.
A few of the symptoms of glaucoma include severe eye pain which may be accompanied by vomiting or nausea, blurred vision, seeing halos around lights, tunnel vision and a loss of peripheral vision.
Patients who see their eye doctor annually for eye exams have the best chance of any early on set of glaucoma being detected in their yearly check up. For other patients who don't see their optometrist on a regular basis there are guidelines to follow to help ensure any early signs are detected as early on as possible.
People age forty and up should start seeing their doctor every three to five years while people who are considered in a high risk group based on their age should start seeing their doctor every year. People who fall into that age related high-risk group include anyone over the age of sixty.
A glaucoma doctor would also consider anyone who has a family history of glaucoma at risk for developing it, as well as patients who experience near sightedness, diabetes or who have experienced a sever eye injury. For people who fall into this high-risk group, a yearly eye exam can help ensure if glaucoma is present it will be detected early on.
Ethnicity also plays a role in developing glaucoma since African Americans experience a five times higher likelihood of getting glaucoma than other ethnicities including Caucasians.
If you are in a high-risk group you should have a yearly exam by a glaucoma doctor who can perform a variety of test to help detect any problems of early onset glaucoma including measuring for intraocular pressure, testing for optic nerve damage and measuring the cornea thickness.
For patients who are diagnosed with glaucoma, a glaucoma doctor has several options available for treatment including the use of eye drops such as prostaglandin-like compounds, beta-blockers, alpha agonists, carbon anhydrates inhibitors or epinephrine compounds. Other options available to a glaucoma doctor include surgical options such as laser surgery, filtering surgery or drainage implant surgery.
The goal of these medical interventions is to reduce the pressure on the eye, which will alleviate any further optic nerve damage from occurring. Most doctors prefer to use medicine before surgery to control the pressure on the eye. In severe cases or where the eye drops don't help, surgical intervention may be required.
Pay attention to your eyesight and if you are experiencing any of the indictors of glaucoma or you fall in the risk category for developing glaucoma, see your eye doctor and make sure you have yearly eye exams.
