Glaucoma

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is the term for a group of eye diseases that damages the optic nerve in your eye. Your optic nerve is essential for vision as it relays light and the colors you see to the vision center of your brain to develop an image of what you’re looking at. If the optic nerve becomes damaged, it can’t be repaired or replaced, and vision loss becomes permanent.

What causes glaucoma?

Glaucoma is caused by fluid in your eye. As the amount of fluid in your eye increases, it puts pressure on the optic nerve at the back of your eye and damages the millions of nerve fibers that make up your optic nerve and are necessary for vision. There are two main types of glaucoma:

Primary open-angle glaucoma

This is the most common type of glaucoma. It occurs when your eye is unable to drain fluid properly. It typically occurs slowly and is painless. The first sign of primary open-angle glaucoma is vision loss.

Angle-closure glaucoma

Also called closed-angle glaucoma, this type happens when the iris is very close to the drainage angle in your eye and blocks fluids from draining. This type occurs abruptly and causes a rapid increase in inner eye pressure, called an acute attack. It is an emergency situation and requires immediate care from the ophthalmologists at Columbia Eye Associates & Family Focus Eye Care.

Am I at risk of developing glaucoma?

Risk factors for developing glaucoma include:

• Being over the age of 60
• Being of African-American, Asian, or Native Alaskan descent
• Family history of glaucoma
• Medical conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol
• Physical injuries to your eye
• Corticosteroid use

If you meet several of these conditions, the Columbia Eye Associates & Family Focus Eye Care team can provide treatment and preventive lifestyle recommendations to reduce your risk of developing glaucoma.

How is glaucoma treated?

For mild glaucoma, Dr. Karl Bodendorfer may recommend medications, like eye drops or pills, or laser surgery to drain fluid from your eye. For chronic glaucoma and angle-closure glaucoma in an emergency situation, surgery is the best treatment method.

During the surgery, Dr. Bodendorfer makes small incisions at specific areas of your eye to aid in drainage. He places stents in the incisions to hold them open and prevent fluid pressure from returning. This can provide longer-lasting relief from glaucoma than conservative measures.

Set up a glaucoma screening at Columbia Eye Associates & Family Focus Eye Care now by calling or booking a visit online.