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THE LATEST IN GLAUCOMA DETECTION AND MANAGEMENT
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness affecting millions of people. Glaucoma is an eye disease that causes damage to the optic nerve, the pathway that carries the image to the brain. If left undetected and untreated, glaucoma can painlessly destroy your vision. Since most people with glaucoma experience no noticeable symptoms, a thorough eye examination is needed to detect glaucoma. If glaucoma is suspected during your eye examination, specialized testing will be recommended. The Heidelberg retinal tomographer is used to precisely measure the size, depth, and shape of the optic nerve and may help to diagnose glaucoma years before symptoms become apparent to the patient. In addition, its especially useful at detecting changes over time to follow your progress. Other tests that are commonly used to diagnose and/or manage glaucoma are ultrasonic pachymetry (measures the thickness of the front surface of the eye), gonioscopy (allows the doctor to view the drainage system of your eye), visual field testing (measures how well you see off all points of your retina and the optic nerve pathway), and tonometry (measures the internal eye pressure). The key to controlling glaucoma is catching it early. Those at increased risk for glaucoma include the following: Over age 35 African-American Heritage Diabetes Hypertension Family History Long-Term Steroid Treatment Injury or Trauma to the Eye Nearsightedness Elevated Intraocular Pressure Decreased Corneal Thickness Enlarged Optic Nerve Cup The best way to prevent vision loss from glaucoma is to know your risk factors and to have eye examinations as recommended by your eye care provider or yearly after age 35.
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