Over two million Americans are affected with glaucoma, and nearly half aren’t aware they have the disease. It’s commonly referred to as the “silent thief of sight” because you’ll feel virtually no symptoms until the disease is very advanced. Unfortunately, once vision is lost, it can never be regained.
Most glaucoma is open-angle glaucoma. The disease is a result of pressure inside the eye that is too high for the optic nerve to tolerate, resulting in damage to the nerve which then causes a loss of side or peripheral vision. Unfortunately there is no pain or other symptoms until after vision loss has occurred. It is a leading cause of blindness, but if caught early it can be controlled. If you are over 40, you should have an eye exam by a doctor of optometry every year or year and a half. If you are African-American, or you have a family member with glaucoma, you at at higher risk for developing glaucoma and should have your eyes examined and eye pressure checked every year.
Narrow-angle glaucoma is much less common and is very different from open-angle glaucoma in that eye pressure usually goes up very fast. There is usually severe pain in the eye or brow ache over the eye, along with redness, swelling, halos around lights and blurred vision. If not treated promptly, this glaucoma produces blindness in the affected eye in a short period of time.
Our range of glaucoma treatment plans can help preserve your current vision and prevent future loss.
Contact our office to schedule your glaucoma screening today!
