Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma
What is glaucoma?
It is important to note that there are many different types of glaucoma but the one most prevalent in the United States is primary open-angle glaucoma. Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve head. In glaucoma, the optic nerve head becomes damaged, resulting in changes in the outer rim tissue. These changes in the outer rim tissue are what cause loss of vision to occur.
Symptoms/Signs of glaucoma
The most common cause of changes to the optic nerve head is due to an increase in intraocular pressure however this is not always the case. Usually glaucoma is painless and the loss of vision starts to occur peripherally in areas that are difficult for patients to notice. It is not until advanced stages of glaucoma have occurred that the patient would notice loss of central vision. This is the reason why patients with glaucoma can go many years without a check-up or being symptomatic.
Who is at risk?
Primary open-angle glaucoma tends to be more prevalent in patients of African-American decent. It tends to occur more in the older population and there does not seem to be a difference in the prevalence between males and females. Lastly, family history plays a large role in the likelihood of developing glaucoma.
What is the treatment for glaucoma?
Glaucoma is treated by decreasing the pressure in the eye until a desired level is reached. There are two modes of treatment: 1) medicated eye drops/oral medication or 2) surgery. In most cases, we start by putting the patient on medicated eye drops.
Outcome of Glaucoma
Unfortunately, once patients have lost vision due to glaucoma it is nearly impossible to return the vision that has been lost. Therefore, it is very important to detect glaucoma early so that your eye care provider can attempt to prevent losing vision in the first place. Our goal as eye care providers is to attempt to retain the vision that is good and to prevent more vision loss.
What is my role?
See your eye care provider annually! It is very important to see your eye care provider on an annual basis so that they can do the appropriate screening tests for glaucoma. If you have a family history of glaucoma, mention it to your eye care provider so they are aware of your condition. By working closely with your eye care provider, as a team, we can make every effort to preserve your sight and prevent vision loss.
