Information About Glaucoma

• Posted on: Mar 15 2019
• By: The Eye Clinic
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Regular eye exams are important. Maybe not so much to find that your eyes went from 20/25 to 20/30 in their refractive errors, but more for the unseen conditions that can be slowly damaging your vision. Glaucoma is the big dog of these.

We can diagnose glaucoma at The Eye Clinic before it begins to permanently damage your eyesight.

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is the name for a group of eye conditions in which pressure builds inside of the eye. As this pressure builds, it damages the optic nerve…permanently. In the U.S. glaucoma is second only to macular degeneration for causing blindness. Glaucoma is especially dangerous because many forms have no warning signs — before the patient realizes there is a problem with his or her vision, damage has already occurred.

That’s why when people go a decade or longer between eye exams, especially when they have had their 40^th birthday and beyond, glaucoma can be damaging their eyesight before it shows symptoms.

What are the symptoms of glaucoma?

While there are different forms of glaucoma, the two most common forms are known as open-angle glaucoma and acute angle-closure glaucoma. These are the symptoms for these forms:

Primary open-angle glaucoma symptoms:

• Patchy blind spots in your peripheral or central vision, frequently in both eyes
• Tunnel vision with advanced glaucoma

Acute angle-closure glaucoma symptoms:

• Severe headaches
• Eye pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Blurred vision
• Halos around lights
• Eye redness

Glaucoma can be prevented, but once it develops there is no cure, and the damage is permanent. Eye drops that lower the intraocular pressure in the eye are usually the first treatment option, although laser surgery could be necessary later.

Is it time for your next eye exam at The Eye Clinic? Prevention is the best form of treatment. Call us at (503) 297-4718 to make your appointment.

Posted in: Glaucoma