Is Glaucoma Treatable?

Is Glaucoma Treatable?

Glaucoma is a condition that progressively damages your eyes' optic nerve. It results from the buildup of pressure in your eye. It is a hereditary condition that does not develop until later in life. 

Your optic nerve sends images to your brain from your eye. When the intraocular pressure builds up too much, it puts pressure on this nerve, causing damage. If untreated, the damage continues to the point where you permanently lose your vision. This can happen within the span of just a few years. 

Glaucoma presents no early symptoms, and it does not cause pain. This makes it very difficult to diagnose outside of an eye exam. It would be best if you had regular eye checkups so that you can diagnose glaucoma early enough.

Forms of Glaucoma

Glaucoma manifests in two main types:

• Open-angle Glaucoma 

This is the most prevalent type of glaucoma. When fluid in the trabecular meshwork fails to drain out as it should, the condition sets in.

• Angle-closure Glaucoma

This form is more common on the Asian continent and goes by the name narrow-angle glaucoma or acute angle-closure glaucoma. When the space between the cornea and iris tasked with draining fluid grows too thin, complications arise. It also has a relationship with hyperopia and cataracts.

Treatment for Glaucoma

• Eye Drops

Eye drops can either reduce the production of fluid in the eye or boost its drainage to lower the intraocular pressure. Eye drops can have various side effects like redness, allergies, blurred vision, stinging, and irritated eyes.

Some of the medications for glaucoma can affect your lungs and heart. It would be best to inform your doctor of other medicines you are on and any medical conditions you might have. Also, you can have them changed if your eye drops affect you too much.

• Oral Drugs

A doctor can prescribe a beta-blocker or a carbonic anhydrase as an oral medication. These two drugs minimize fluid production in your eye or improve its drainage. 

• Laser Surgery

If you have open-angle glaucoma, you can opt for laser surgery to improve the fluid drainage out of your eye. If you have angle-closure glaucoma, it can clear up the blockage of the fluid. The several surgical procedures are:

• Trabeculoplasty, to open the drainage of the fluid.
• Iridotomy, to create a small opening in your iris to let the fluid flow out.
• Cyclophotocoagulation, to treat the eye's middle layer to minimize fluid production.

• Microsurgery

Microsurgery involves a treatment called trabeculectomy. The doctor will form a new pathway to drain the fluid and reduce eye pressure. They might need to perform this type of procedure several times. The surgeon can implant a tube that will assist in draining the fluid. The side effects of this surgery can be bleeding, infection, or temporary or permanent vision loss. 

Laser trabeculoplasty, eye drops, and microsurgery are open-angle glaucoma treatments. The doctor might prefer to start with medication, but early microsurgery or laser surgery might work better for some people.

For more on glaucoma treatment, call Justice Vision Clinic at (770) 626-7883 to reach our office in Duluth, Georgia.