Glaucoma

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma describes several serious eye diseases that can cause complete vision loss.

In a healthy eye, you have a small amount of clear liquid that’s continually made and drained in the front of your eye to maintain pressure. When you have glaucoma, this fluid can build up and exert pressure on your optic nerve. Without treatment, this pressure can cause damage and lead to blindness.

While it can occur at any age, glaucoma is the main cause of blindness for men and women over 60.

How is glaucoma diagnosed?

There are two common forms of glaucoma.

Primary open-angle glaucoma

This type of glaucoma develops slowly when your eye doesn’t properly drain. Over time, pressure on your optic nerve slowly grows, but you don’t immediately have symptoms.

Primary open-angle glaucoma is the most common form of glaucoma. Dr. Mayans can detect it early through regular eye exams.

Angle-closure glaucoma

Also known as closed-angle glaucoma and neuro-angle glaucoma, this condition occurs when you have completely blocked drainage canals, and pressure on your optic nerve rises rapidly.

Angle-closure glaucoma is an eye emergency requiring immediate attention to reduce your chances of serious complications, like blindness.

What are the symptoms of glaucoma?

Glaucoma doesn’t always have symptoms, but when they’re present they might include:

• Eye redness
• Blurry or lost vision
• Seeing halos or rings of color
• Having tunnel vision
• Nausea and vomiting
• Headache

Whenever you experience changes in your eyes and vision, it’s important to contact Dr. Mayans as quickly as possible.

Who is at risk for glaucoma?

Your chances of having glaucoma significantly increase after you turn 60. Additional risk factors include:

• High intraocular pressure (eye pressure)
• Extreme nearsightedness or farsightedness
• Corneas with thin centers
• History of eye injury or surgery
• Corticosteroid medication use, especially eye drops
• Conditions like diabetes, hypertension, or sickle cell anemia

Your risk of developing glaucoma also increases if you have a family history of the disease or are Asian, Hispanic, or African-American.

How is glaucoma diagnosed and treated?

Early detection is vital to treating glaucoma and preventing blindness. Dr. Mayans diagnoses glaucoma during a comprehensive eye exam. Based on his findings, Dr. Mayans might recommend a variety of treatments, including:

• Eyedrops to manage your eye fluid
• Laser therapy to ease pressure, increase fluid movement, and relieve blockages
• Microsurgery to support fluid drainage and reduce pressure

Call Jose Mayans, MD, or schedule an appointment online today to learn more about glaucoma treatment.