Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that cause damage to the optic nerve. The team at Raleigh Ophthalmology treats this and other eye conditions to ensure you preserve the most vision possible by managing the eye condition.
Glaucoma occurs when there’s damage to the optic nerve, usually due to intraocular pressure (IOP) being too high. Continued damage to the optic nerve typically means patients with glaucoma initially notice a loss of their peripheral vision.
However, most patients with glaucoma don’t realize they have the eye condition until permanent and irreversible damage has already occurred in the form of vision loss. If you do not treat glaucoma, it will eventually lead to total loss of vision.
Many often call glaucoma the silent thief of vision. This is because its symptoms, of which there are few, are subtle and frequently not noticed by patients.
Fortunately, if glaucoma is diagnosed in its early stages, it is manageable. With treatment, you may avoid further vision loss and progression of the eye condition.
Eye exams are the best defense against eye conditions like glaucoma.
Open-angle glaucoma is the most common kind of glaucoma. In this form of glaucoma, the eye cannot drain fluid as well as it should.
If you have open-angle glaucoma, intraocular pressure will build, damaging the optic nerve. There are also usually few if any, noticeable symptoms with open-angle glaucoma.
Eye exams regularly scheduled with your eye doctor at Raleigh Ophthalmology are the only way to diagnose open-angle glaucoma, especially if you have yet to exhibit any symptoms.
Another kind of glaucoma that patients can develop is called angle-closure glaucoma. Although angle-closure glaucoma is less common, this kind of glaucoma occurs if your iris is very close to the drainage angle in your eye.
When this happens, your iris may block the drainage angle. If the drainage angle is completely blocked, your intraocular pressure can rise quickly, leading to an acute attack. Acute angle-closure glaucoma is considered a medical emergency that can lead to total vision loss if left untreated.
Symptoms of acute-angle closure glaucoma can include:
Angle-closure glaucoma usually develops slowly, without any symptoms initially.
Although anyone can develop glaucoma, you’re more likely to develop it if:
Even if you do not fall into a high-risk category for developing glaucoma, if you’re considered a low-risk patient under 35, you should still have regularly scheduled eye exams with your ophthalmologist at Raleigh Ophthalmology at least every two years.
Glaucoma usually doesn’t have any signs or symptoms, meaning patients typically won’t realize they have the eye condition until permanent damage to the optic nerve has already occurred. As glaucoma progresses, you may experience symptoms like:
If you experience these symptoms, you may think they are due to other eye conditions, like cataracts or presbyopia. This is what makes eye exams so crucial.
One of the best ways to treat glaucoma is with MIGS. MIGS (minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries) are procedures used to treat glaucoma with the most state-of-the-art treatments available. These procedures are minimally invasive and decrease patient recovery time, reducing potential complications.
These procedures work by reducing intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients. Many will implant small devices or use advanced techniques that improve how fluid drains from the eye, which reduces intraocular pressure.
MIGS procedures can also be performed during cataract surgery or as standalone procedures, depending on your needs and your surgeon’s recommendations at Raleigh Ophthalmology. We offer our patients a variety of MIGS procedures to help manage glaucoma.
Join us for the ribbon cutting of our new Clayton location and celebrate with our doctors, staff, and the Clayton Chamber of Commerce. Enjoy refreshments and a chance to win one of three exciting gift baskets!
