Diagnosing and Preventative Care for Glaucoma

Most people have heard of glaucoma. It may not be the most common eye condition among U.S. adults, affecting around just 3 million. However, it does have the ability to cause permanent vision loss, meaning that it’s important for people to know what it is and how they can prevent it. 

What is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is an eye condition that occurs when there is too much pressure inside the eyes. This can be caused by many things, from taking certain medications to there being too much tear film being produced. As the pressure rises, it places force onto the optic nerve at the back of the eye, and which is responsible for delivering messages from the eyes to the brain. This prevents it from working as effectively, and if glaucoma isn’t treated, it could lead to permanent vision loss. 

What are the Symptoms of Glaucoma?

One of the biggest challenges of glaucoma is recognizing it, since it usually develops very slowly, over months or even years. By the time they realize they are affected, most patients will have suffered at least some damage to their vision. It’s for this reason that glaucoma testing can form part of regular annual comprehensive eye exams – so that it can be spotted early on before any damage occurs. 

Nevertheless, it’s still important to be aware of the signs and symptoms of glaucoma, which typically include:

• Loss of peripheral vision (the edges of your vision)

• Blurred vision

• Rainbow-colored halos around lights 

These will get worse without treatment. It’s also important to be aware that a small number of patients develop a less common variety of conventional glaucoma each year, known as acute glaucoma. This comes on extremely quickly and must be treated as an emergency to prevent permanent vision loss. Symptoms associated with this rarer type of glaucoma include:

• Severe eye pain

• Nausea/vomiting

• Headache/migraine

• Blurred vision

• Red eyes

If you think you are affected by either type of glaucoma, don’t hesitate to make an appointment with your eye doctor as quickly as possible. 

How is Glaucoma Diagnosed?

If your eye doctor suspects that you may be affected by glaucoma, you’ll need to undergo a series of tests to confirm your diagnosis. These could include all or any of the following:

Pressure test. Also known as tonometry, a small device is used to measure the level of pressure inside your eyes. 

Ophthalmoscopy: this is where your eyes are dilated, and a special lens is used to check inside your eyes to make sure everything looks normal and healthy.

Perimetry: also known as a visual field test, this will tell your eye doctor if any of your peripheral vision has been lost.  

Pachymetry: a painless test, this looks at the thickness of the clear dome covering the front part of your eye (and can affect your eye pressure). 

Your eye doctor will be able to advise you exactly which tests will be performed, what to expect from each one, and what they will tell them about your eye health and vision. 

Treatment and Preventative Care for Glaucoma

Sadly, any vision that is lost due to glaucoma will be permanent as there is not yet a treatment that can restore it. Fortunately, there are treatments that can get glaucoma under control, preventing the disease from causing any more damage to your vision. These include eye drops, oral medications, and laser treatments. As a last resort, surgery may be recommended to remove blockages within the eye which could be causing your intraocular pressure to build. Your eye doctor will be able to advise you which treatment you should try first and will work with you to find the one that is most effective at getting and keeping your eye pressure under control. 

Preventing Glaucoma

Of course, prevention is better than cure. Luckily, there are also things you can do to reduce the likelihood of developing glaucoma during your lifetime. Studies suggest that people with healthy, active lifestyles are less likely to be affected by glaucoma. Therefore, it’s recommended that you eat a healthy, balanced diet that is packed with nutrition that supports eye health – such as carrots and dark, leafy green vegetables. Regular exercise will also help to keep your weight under control, which could help to keep glaucoma at bay. 

Eye protection is important too. Whether it’s to keep your eyes safe during contact sports, dealing with chemicals, swimming in the sea, or simply being outside on a bright day, protective eyewear from goggles to sunglasses can minimize your risk of injury or developing eye diseases. Ask your eye doctor for more information. 

For more advice on diagnosing and preventative care for glaucoma, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our experienced and friendly family eye care centers in Bartlett MN, and Memphis TN.