Glaucoma Treatment in Portland, OR
Living with the uncertainty of potential vision loss can be frightening. Glaucoma is a silent thief of sight, often progressing without any symptoms until significant damage has already occurred. Losing your vision or dealing with irreversible damage is a concern you shouldn’t have to face alone.
At The Eye Care Clinic in Portland, Oregon, we provide expert services to protect your vision. Our dedicated team of top doctors can help manage and treat glaucoma. Your vision is our priority!
What Is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions where pressure builds inside the eye, and this increased pressure damages the optic nerve. It is second only to macular degeneration for blindness across all age groups in the U.S. Glaucoma is especially dangerous because many forms have no warning signs — before the patient realizes there is a problem with their vision, the damage has already occurred, and it’s permanent.
What Causes Glaucoma?
A substance known as aqueous humor flows through a normal eye and exits through an area of tissue called the trabecular meshwork. The trabecular network is found where the iris and cornea meet. If the trabecular meshwork has a blockage or is somehow damaged, or when the eye overproduces aqueous humor, pressure increases inside the eye. As the pressure increases and stays elevated, the optic nerve is damaged. As the nerve gradually deteriorates, blind spots develop in the patient’s visual field.
Who Is at Risk for Developing Glaucoma?
Anyone can develop glaucoma, but certain factors increase a person’s risk:
- Having high intraocular pressure
- Being over age 60
- Being black, Asian, or Hispanic
- Having a family history of glaucoma
- Having other medical conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, or sickle cell anemia
- Having corneas that are thin in the center
- Being extremely nearsighted or farsighted
- Having had an eye injury
- Having had certain types of eye surgery
- Long-time use of corticosteroid medications, particularly eye drops
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.
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
Can My Sight Be Restored If It Was Lost Due to Glaucoma?
Although glaucoma can be caught early enough to help stop vision loss, it is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness. As the pressure caused by glaucoma kills the nerve cells in your retina, parts of your eyes and brain become permanently disconnected from one another.
Glaucoma treatments are effective at preventing and slowing potential vision loss, but there is no known treatment to reverse the damage caused by glaucoma. Any vision you have lost cannot be restored, which is why an early diagnosis is crucial to preserving your eye function.
Importance of Eye Exams for Glaucoma Prevention and Treatment
Regular eye exams can be the difference between saving your vision and losing it permanently. As you develop glaucoma, you may not notice any symptoms, so only a comprehensive eye exam will catch the changes and the buildup of pressure in your eye.
Catching glaucoma early, when it can more easily be treated, will maximize your chances of preserving your eyesight and preventing irreversible damage before it becomes too late.
How Often Should You Visit Your Eye Doctor for Glaucoma?
In order to prevent and catch glaucoma early in its development, you should see your eye doctor for regular visits to check your eye health and track any changes in your vision.
As you get older, your risk for developing glaucoma increases, so it is recommended that those over 40 have their eyes checked every two to four years and those over 60 be checked at least once a year.
For those already diagnosed with glaucoma, we recommend ongoing follow-up visits to continually check for new or worsening developments. Depending on the type and stage of your glaucoma, you may need to visit your eye doctor anywhere from one to four times a year, with more severe cases requiring more frequent check-ups.
Diagnosing Glaucoma
While some patients may experience symptoms from glaucoma as the disease progresses, others may not realize they have the condition until they undergo a routine eye exam. To accurately diagnose glaucoma, several specialized tests are performed to assess different aspects of eye health and function:
- Visual Field Testing: Measures peripheral (side) vision to detect blind spots indicating glaucoma. You’ll look straight ahead and indicate when you see lights or objects in your peripheral vision.
- Visual Acuity Test: Evaluates how well you can see at various distances by reading letters on an eye chart. This helps determine if your vision has been affected by glaucoma or other conditions.
- Tonometry: Measures the intraocular pressure (IOP) inside your eye, a critical factor in diagnosing glaucoma. A small device gently touches your eye’s surface to gauge the pressure.
- Pachymetry: Measures the thickness of your cornea, which can influence IOP readings. An ultrasonic wave instrument quickly and painlessly measures corneal thickness.
- Gonioscopy: Examines the drainage angle of your eye to determine if it is open or closed, helping identify the type of glaucoma.
- Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT): Uses light waves to take cross-section images of your retina, measuring the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer affected by glaucoma.
- Ophthalmoscopy: Allows the doctor to examine the optic nerve for any signs of damage using a special instrument called an ophthalmoscope.
Glaucoma Treatment Options
Once we’ve diagnosed a patient’s glaucoma, it’s important to quickly begin lowering the pressure inside the eye caused by the buildup of fluid. The goal is to prevent additional vision damage.
The first treatment option is prescription eye drops. Beyond that, surgery may be necessary to improve fluid drainage. Your doctor will recommend a treatment option based on your needs, including:
Eye Drops
There are now a variety of different eye drop options for glaucoma treatment, depending on how your eyes respond. Some of these eye drops increase the outflow of the aqueous fluid. Others seek to reduce the production of fluid in the eye. Many people don’t comply with their dosages or stay consistent with their eye drops. This is the leading cause of continued damage to the optic nerve. This lack of urgency can be attributed to the fact that the patient isn’t experiencing any pain or symptoms.
Surgery
Some of the different types of surgery for glaucoma include:
- Laser therapy: There are three types of laser surgery for glaucoma: laser trabeculoplasty, iridotomy, and cyclophotocoagulation. These treatments aim to help fluid flow out of the eye more easily or to remove blockages in the eye’s drainage system.
- Filtering: In a trabeculectomy, part of the trabecular meshwork is removed to enhance drainage.
- Drainage tubes: Small tubes are inserted, usually through the trabecular meshwork, to open flow.
- Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery: These various techniques are used to lower eye pressure, generally with lower risk and easier recovery.
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Why Choose The Eye Clinic?
At The Eye Clinic, we combine state-of-the-art technology with personalized treatment plans to reach optimal outcomes for your vision health. Our team includes Dr. John Wilkins, Dr. Elizabeth Donohue, and Dr. John Samples, who bring extensive expertise and specialized training in glaucoma management.
- Dr. Elizabeth Donohue has fellowships in Glaucoma from the University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary and the Chicago Eye Institute. Her commitment to patient care and education ensures that our patients receive top-notch glaucoma management and treatment.
- Dr. John Samples, a renowned Glaucoma Consultant at The Eye Clinic, has a distinguished career that includes over 20 years as a Professor of Ophthalmology at Oregon Health and Sciences University. He is actively involved in developing new glaucoma-related drugs and surgical procedures.
- Dr. Wilkins, the President of The Eye Clinic since 2002, has a robust background in internal medicine and ophthalmology.
Our team’s expertise and compassionate care make us the premier choice for glaucoma treatment in Portland!
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are the Early Signs of Glaucoma?
Early signs of glaucoma can be subtle and often go unnoticed. They may include patchy blind spots in your peripheral or central vision, especially in both eyes. As the condition progresses, you might experience tunnel vision in advanced stages.
Can Lifestyle Changes Help Manage Glaucoma?
Yes, certain lifestyle changes can help manage glaucoma. Regular exercise, maintaining a healthy diet, avoiding smoking, and protecting your eyes from injury can all contribute to better eye health. It’s also important to follow your treatment plan and attend regular eye exams to monitor your condition.
Is Glaucoma More Common in Certain Age Groups?
Yes, glaucoma is more common in older age groups. The risk of developing glaucoma increases significantly after the age of 60. However, it can occur at any age, including infancy and early adulthood, although these cases are rarer.
Can I Continue Normal Activities After Glaucoma Surgery?
Most patients can return to normal activities after glaucoma surgery, but it’s important to follow your doctor’s post-operative care instructions. You may need to avoid strenuous activities, heavy lifting, and activities that put pressure on your eyes for a few weeks. Your doctor will provide specific guidelines based on your individual case.
Is Glaucoma Preventable?
While there are no surefire ways to prevent glaucoma from developing, regular screenings and early detection are the best forms of protection against the harmful damage that the disease can cause. Patients should have a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once every two years, especially if they have a higher risk of developing glaucoma. Older patients may be encouraged to be tested more frequently.
Is Glaucoma Hereditary?
Primary open-angle glaucoma, the more common type of glaucoma, is hereditary. This means that if you have an immediate family member who has glaucoma, you are at a higher risk and are more likely to develop glaucoma at some point in your life.
Early-onset glaucoma also tends to be hereditary, so those with a family history of glaucoma should make sure to get regular eye exams before the age of 40.
Are There Permanent Treatment Options?
Glaucoma can be prevented, but there isn’t a cure once it develops. Damage to the optic nerve is permanent. Once glaucoma is diagnosed, however, treatment can help slow or prevent vision loss, but this can only happen with an early diagnosis. That’s why we stress the importance of regular eye exams at The Eye Clinic. Once diagnosed, the goal is to lower the intraocular pressure.
Schedule a Glaucoma Consultation!
To learn more about glaucoma or the various treatments The Eye Care Clinic offers, schedule a consultation with one of our top doctors today! Call 503-297-4718 or fill out the Consultation Request Form below, and our staff will help you arrange your appointment. Our practice serves Portland and the surrounding Oregon areas. We look forward to meeting you!
