Glaucoma Treatment
What is glaucoma?
Glaucoma occurs when pressure in the eye becomes elevated. In normal function, fluid drains through a mesh-like organ in the front of the eye, and is constantly replaced by new fluid. With glaucoma, the fluid does not drain properly and pressure builds up, pushing against the optic nerve and, often, damaging it. Reduced vision is typically the result; left untreated, glaucoma can lead to irreversible blindness.

While anyone can develop glaucoma, some significant risk factors are family history; diabetes; near- or far-sightedness; and age (over 45 years). Those with black ancestry are also at elevated risk.

What are the symptoms?
Initially, glaucoma symptoms are subtle, and they often go unnoticed. (For this reason, glaucoma is sometimes called “The Silent Thief of Sight.”) .

Symptoms may include
Headaches, eye pain, difficulty adjusting to the dark and deteriorating peripheral vision generally signal the onset of glaucoma. Often, though, your family eye doctor will detect glaucoma through a routine pressure check.

Treatment
Individual treatments will vary from person to person. Treatments include medications (eye drops and/or pills), Argon Laser Surgery, standard surgery or in some cases, our patients may be able to receive selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) treatment or Endoscopic CycloPhotocoagulation  (ECP) treatment.

To aid in treatment, Grossnickle Eye Center utilizes GDx™, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and HRT technology to provide a rapid, objective and accurate evaluation of the eye.