Glaucoma is a group of diseases that cause optic nerve damage, and ultimately, vision loss. In many cases, the optic nerve damage will cause vision loss that presents as a reduced visual field, or peripheral vision loss.
Over 1 million Americans over 65 have experienced vision loss from glaucoma. It is a significant cause of vision loss and blindness in America. To protect your vision from glaucoma, it’s important to have an eye exam once per year.
Open-angle glaucoma occurs when the eye’s drainage canal slowly clogs. This causes an increase in intraocular pressure, eventually leading to optic nerve damage and vision loss.
Because it happens slowly, many patients do not realize they have open-angle glaucoma until they have experienced significant vision loss. It’s the most common form of glaucoma, making up 90% of glaucoma cases.
Angle-closure glaucoma is caused by blocked drainage canals. This form of glaucoma occurs rapidly and causes a sudden increase in intraocular pressure. It is much less common than open-angle glaucoma and the symptoms of the angle-closure glaucoma are much more noticeable.
Signs of angle-closure glaucoma include severe eye pain and seeing halos. If you experience these or other sudden changes in your vision, seek medical attention immediately.
Sometimes called low-tension or normal-pressure glaucoma, this type of glaucoma happens despite normal intraocular pressure. While patients with normal-tension glaucoma will have normal or close to normal eye pressure, they still experience the optic nerve damage and vision loss associated with glaucoma.
Congenital glaucoma is very rare and is seen exclusively in infants. It occurs when the eyes’ drainage canals develop incorrectly or incompletely. Some think there is a hereditary component to congenital glaucoma, but the exact cause is unknown.
Regular eye exams are the best way to catch glaucoma early, especially open-angle glaucoma. Eye exams are an opportunity for your optometrist to monitor your vision for changes that could be caused by glaucoma. Testing, such as a visual field test, will also allow your optometrist to evaluate you for glaucoma.
At an eye exam, your optometrist will evaluate your medical history to assess your risk of developing glaucoma. Risk factors include:
Treatment for glaucoma is available when the disease is caught early. While vision loss from glaucoma can’t be reversed, glaucoma that is caught early can be treated with medication. Medical therapy if the first course of treatment. If the disease progresses, glaucoma surgery is another treatment option. Surgery for glaucoma can include laser treatment or an incision to reduce the eye pressure, depending on the severity of the glaucoma.
What I look for in a specialist is professionalism and accuracy in diagnoses and treatment, and I have found that with Eye Central. The office is efficient, calm, and clean, supported by an excellent, polite staff. I have been pleased with the service for years, and I have no intention of switching.
I have always been pleased with my experiences at Eye Central where the staff are professional yet approachable and where my optometrist Dr. Foley is a good listener who makes time to offer thorough explanations and effective guidance regarding my eye health.
Our D.C. Capitol Hill location is conveniently located on Pennsylvania Avenue, between Hank’s Oyster Bar and the 7-Eleven.
Our D.C. Capitol Hill location is conveniently located on Pennsylvania Avenue, between Hank’s Oyster Bar and the 7-Eleven.
Our McLean location is conveniently located on Old McLean Village Drive next to Focal Point Homes.
Our McLean location is conveniently located on Old McLean Village Drive next to Focal Point Homes.
D.C. Capitol Hill
McLean
