Glaucoma

What is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is an eye disease which is one of the leading causes of blindness. Two out of every hundred people over the age of thirty-five have their vision threatened by this disease. Yet, when diagnosed early, blindness from glaucoma is almost always preventable.

Glaucoma can damage these ‘wires’, causing blind spots to develop in areas of vision. People seldom notice these blind areas in the side vision until considerable optic nerve damage has occurred. If the entire nerve is destroyed, blindness results. Fortunately, this rarely occurs if glaucoma is diagnosed and treated before major damage has taken place.

The key to, preventing optic nerve damage or blindness from glaucoma is early diagnosis and treatment. Many doctors can test for glaucoma as a part of a periodic physical examination. An ophthalmologist is the medical doctor who is specifically trained to perform this examination and treat this condition. – 1edical eye examination by an ophthalmologist is the best defiance against glaucoma. For this reason, adults should see an ophthalmologist for periodic eye examination.

Glaucoma and You

The control by drugs can only be effective if patients adhere to the treatment schedule prescribed by their ophthalmologists. The treatment ‘team’ comprises both you and your doctor. Medications should never be stopped without first consulting the ophthalmologist. It is always important to inform all the physicians you visit about the eye medications you are using. Remember, it is your vision, and you must do your part in maintaining it.

If medications are poorly tolerated or not effective in controlling glaucoma, surgery may become necessary. In some cases, almost painless surgery can be carried out with a laser beam without an incision. In other cases, a cut in the eye to form a drainage canal is necessary. Complications such as cataract may occur. Fortunately, serious complications from modem glaucoma surgery are rare. In most cases, recommended surgery is safer than permitting continuing loss of the optic nerve fro the glaucoma.

Loss of Vision

If you are over 40 years, you should have your eye checked for glaucoma every two to four years. If you are an Arab or African-American and over forty yeaI’5 you are at a greater risk of developing glaucoma should have your eyes checked every three to five years. An ophthalmologist should be consulted whenever the: is any decrease in vision or recurrent pain, or when any of the other symptoms discussed are present. When diagnosed promptly, eye pressure can be brought under control and future glaucoma attack can be prevented.

Laser surgery in glaucoma is useful if the pressure of eye is moderate and controlled with medication. However, the results with laser trabeculoplasty (glaucoma drainage) are not predictable. The procedure is simple and does not require hospitalization.

The operation of choice in majority of cases is a surgical ‘trabeculectomy’ under microscope with microsurgical instruments and with precise sedation and local anesthesia by injections around the eyeball.