Glaucoma

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy (a disease of the optic nerve) characterized by a specific pattern of nerve damage, beginning with a slow loss of peripheral vision and gradually moving inward to the central visual fields. Glaucoma can lead to total blindness if it is untreated or detected too late.

The risk of developing glaucoma is higher if a person has:

  • Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP), which results from less fluid leaving the eye than is entering the eye

  • Immediate family member with glaucoma (siblings, parents, grandparents)

  • Thinner corneas

  • History of eye or head injury

  • History of blood loss or transfusion

  • High myopia

  • Diabetes Mellitus

Glaucoma - Petrou Eye Care

Other possible risk factors for glaucoma may include low blood pressure, low intracranial pressure, poor blood circulation, autoimmune conditions, sleep apnea, and sleeping with something pressed against the eye.

Early detection prevents vision loss

If you have a family history of glaucoma, such as one of your parents or siblings using drops of being treated for glaucoma by their eye doctor, make sure you share this information with your eye doctor, you have a much lower chance of experiencing vision loss later in life.

If you been told that you may have glaucoma (called glaucoma suspect, or pre-glaucoma), your doctor will suggest a monitoring program for your eyes and vision. Your doctor will watch your eyes and pressures very closely for any changes that indicate progression of glaucoma. Prior to optic nerve scans, also know as OCT (ocular coherence tomography), many people were only prescribed medicated eye drops to lower their eye pressure. Today, medications are prescribed to treat glaucoma and ocular hypertension (high eye pressures) based on the results of many tests. Your doctor’s knowledge combined with the remarkable information that can be gained from OCTs has allowed a more customized approach to treatment of early glaucoma.

What can be done?

If you have a family history of glaucoma, such as one of your parents or siblings using drops of being treated for glaucoma by their eye doctor, make sure you share this information with your eye doctor, you have a much lower chance of experiencing vision loss later in life.

If you been told that you may have glaucoma (called glaucoma suspect, or pre-glaucoma), your doctor will suggest a monitoring program for your eyes and vision. Your doctor will watch your eyes and pressures very closely for any changes that indicate progression of glaucoma. Prior to optic nerve scans, also know as OCT (ocular coherence tomography), many people were only prescribed medicated eye drops to lower their eye pressure. Today, medications are prescribed to treat glaucoma and ocular hypertension (high eye pressures) based on the results of many tests. Your doctor’s knowledge combined with the remarkable information that can be gained from OCTs has allowed a more customized approach to treatment of early glaucoma.