Glaucoma Management

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If You’ve Received a Glaucoma Diagnosis We Can Help

Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that progressively damage the optic nerve. The optic nerve is responsible for relaying the visual information gathered by your eyes to the brain, essentially giving you sight. When this essential part of your visual pathway is damaged, it can cause vision loss or blindness. Many forms of glaucoma progress slowly with no early symptoms. It’s been called the silent thief of sight. Many patients may not notice a problem until vision loss has already occurred.

Routine eye exams are one of the only ways to detect glaucoma. Knowing how serious glaucoma is, a diagnosis can be scary. Our team at Abbey Eye Care is compassionate, patient, knowledgeable, experienced, and ready to help you through this. The good news is that glaucoma treatment is available and, when initiated early, can be very effective at preventing future vision loss.

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Types of Glaucoma

There are several kinds of glaucoma, but the main 2 types are open-angle and angle-closure. Both types are related to increased intraocular pressure (IOP) caused by the inability of the eye’s fluid to drain.

Open-angle glaucoma is one of the most common types of this disease and accounts for nearly 90% of all glaucoma cases. It occurs when the eye’s drainage angles remain open, but the fluid in the eye drains more slowly than normal thus increasing the overall pressure within the eye.

Open-angle glaucoma usually progresses slowly over time and without early symptoms. If the disease is left untreated, it can lead to patchy blind spots in your peripheral vision and in it’s final stages lead to tunnel vision.

Angle-closure glaucoma occurs when the iris in the eye moves forward and blocks the drainage angle between it and the cornea. This complete blockage prevents the aqueous humour from draining and causes IOP to rise.

Angle-closure glaucoma can be chronic, developing slowly over time, or acute, occurring suddenly. Acute angle-closure glaucoma is considered an eye emergency. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call us immediately:

  • Severe headache
  • Eye pain
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Blurred vision
  • Halos around lights
  • Eye redness
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Glaucoma Treatments

Treatments for glaucoma usually focus on managing eye pressure (IOP), but different types of glaucoma require different treatment strategies. Regardless of the type of glaucoma you have, the earlier the diagnosis, the more successful treatment usually is.

At Abbey Eye Care, we’ll educate you through your treatment options and recommend what we believe is best for your unique case. Ultimately, our goal is to preserve your sight and keep your eyes strong and healthy for many years to come!

There are several types of prescription eye drops available for glaucoma management. They work either by lowering your IOP or decreasing the amount of fluid your eye makes.

If the drops are effective at controlling your glaucoma, you’ll likely have to take them for the rest of your life. If the drops aren’t sufficient, you may be referred to a specialist for surgery.

Laser treatment or trabeculoplasty is a procedure used to treat open-angle glaucoma. It’s a simple, in-office treatment that uses a laser to enhance fluid drainage from the eye.

Laser treatment can work for many people, but not everyone. Even with laser treatment, you may need to continue to take other medications, and you’ll likely need more than one laser treatment over the course of the disease. For patients that are candidates for SLT, we work closely with local Ophthalmologists to co-ordinate your treatment.

More invasive Surgery is often recommended if medication or laser treatments haven’t worked. There are different kinds of surgical procedures, but they’re mainly designed to control IOP. While these procedures can’t cure your glaucoma or reverse vision loss that’s already occurred, they can prevent vision loss from getting worse.

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Learn More About Glaucoma Management

Glaucoma is a serious, dangerous eye disease, but remember that our team is on your side. We’ll work closely with you to develop a personalized treatment plan that works for you. Through regular check-ups, close monitoring of your condition, and consistent treatments, glaucoma management can be quite successful.

If you want to learn more about glaucoma or how we can help you manage your disease, please call our clinic. We’re here for you!