subject: Questions About Glaucoma [print this page] Questions About Glaucoma Questions About Glaucoma
Known as the silent robber of sight, glaucoma is a group of diseases that should keep everyone on their toes, or at least, in yearly contact with their eye doctor. Estimates show that more than 66 and a half million people are visually impaired due to glaucoma, and of those, 6.7 million have already gone blind. By contacting an eye doctor who treats glaucoma in the Norman, Oklahoma area, you can learn more about this silent group of diseases and have your eyes examined for this group of eye diseases
What are the different forms of glaucoma?
Approximately 95% of all individuals with glaucoma have open-angle glaucoma. Other forms of glaucoma include:
Open-angle glaucoma characterized by optic nerve damage and is typically found in those with high eye pressure
Normal-tension glaucoma occurs when eye pressure is normal, but the optic nerve is damaged and peripheral vision is lost
Closed-angle glaucoma may be chronic or acute
Congenital glaucoma affects babies born with defects preventing normal drainage of the eye
Secondary glaucoma either open or closed-angle glaucoma that results from another medical condition within the body or the eye
Do laser techniques have an impact on glaucoma patients?
No glaucoma cures are currently available, but laser surgery can help control the symptoms of glaucoma. These forms of laser surgery include:
Trabeculoplasty uses a focused beam of light to treat the drainage angle of the eye
Laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI) a laser used to create a hole in the iris, which increases drainage passages blocked by a portion of the iris
Cyclophotocagulation a laser surgery for those who already have damage caused by glaucoma
How is glaucoma treated?
Damage caused by glaucoma cannot be repaired, only treated so that your eyesight remains the same and doesn't get worse. Catching glaucoma early makes a huge difference. Once pinpointed, eye doctors will prescribe something to decrease pressure in the eye or reduce the fluid it produces. The specific treatment will depend up on individual needs. Some of these treatments are:
Oral medication can be very effective in decreasing pressure in the eyes, but are known to cause side effects in about half of all patients that take the medication
Eye drops several medications are available to reduce eye pressure by either helping the eye to drain or reducing the fluid amount the eye produces
Surgery two types of surgery can be used to reduce the effects of glaucoma: Laser surgery can help lower eye pressure, but doesn't counteract vision loss
Filtering microsurgery can create a drainage hole to reduce eye pressure if laser surgery does not work or eye pressure builds up again
