What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is an eye disorder that results from damage to the optic nerve. Often called the “silent thief of sight,” this degenerative eye disease slowly steals vision without readily apparent symptoms. If left untreated, glaucoma can lead to permanent vision damage or blindness. This is why it is so important to have regular eye exams. Otherwise, you may not realize this silent disease is damaging your vision.
Glaucoma is often caused by either a build-up of fluid pressure in the eyes due to an overproduction of fluid or when the drainage system of the eye becomes blocked. This pressure can damage your optic nerve and cause an irreversible loss of vision. The optic nerve connects your eye to your brain and carries visual information to your brain for processing. Your peripheral vision—side vision—is lost first. If glaucoma remains untreated, vision loss creeps in toward the center, first causing tunnel vision, and eventually, blindness.
There are several factors that increase your risks of developing glaucoma. These include high eye pressure (intraocular pressure-IOP), older age, or having a family history of glaucoma. Even if you don’t have any of these risk factors, you should still have regular eye exams.
Congenital Glaucoma: This condition occurs in infants who experience birth defects or have neurofibromatosis. You may be able to see symptoms by looking in the child’s eye. They may have clouded eyes, excessive tearing, sensitivity to light, and a protruding eyeball. If not diagnosed and treated immediately, it can result in blindness.
Chronic Open-angle Glaucoma (OAG): The optic nerve is slowly damaged in open-angle glaucoma, also called wide-angle glaucoma or primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Peripheral vision is slowly diminished and eventually may lead to full blindness if not treated.
Closed-angle Glaucoma (CAG): This type of glaucoma is characterized by a build-up of pressure stemming from blocked fluid in the eye. The fluid between the iris and the lens creates pressure that damages the optic nerve. It causes pain and sudden impairment of vision. Acute CAG requires emergency medical treatment because permanent vision loss can happen in a short period of time with this condition.
If glaucoma is detected early enough, the progress of the disease in most cases can be halted with medical and surgical treatment options. Jervey Eye Group offers advanced diagnostics for glaucoma, including visual field technology that tests for optic nerve damage with a non-intrusive device for measuring pressure within the eye, and scans that are able to measure the thickness of the optic nerve layers to the level of microns.
Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve, which is essential for good vision. This damage is often caused by abnormally high pressure inside the eye, though glaucoma can occur at normal pressures as well. Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness in the United States, and vision loss from glaucoma cannot be restored once it has occurred.
Most forms of glaucoma, particularly primary open-angle glaucoma, produce no symptoms in the early stages. Vision loss typically begins in the peripheral (side) vision and progresses gradually, which is why glaucoma is often called the “silent thief of sight.” Angle-closure glaucoma can cause sudden symptoms including severe eye pain, headache, nausea, blurred vision, and halos around lights, and is considered a medical emergency. Because most glaucoma has no early symptoms, regular comprehensive eye exams are the primary means of detection.
Risk factors for glaucoma include age 60 and older, family history of glaucoma, African American, Hispanic, or Asian ancestry, elevated intraocular pressure, thin corneas, diabetes, high blood pressure, severe nearsightedness or farsightedness, long-term use of corticosteroid medications, and previous eye injury. Patients with one or more risk factors should discuss an appropriate screening schedule with their eye doctor.
Glaucoma is diagnosed through a comprehensive eye exam that includes measurement of intraocular pressure, examination of the optic nerve, visual field testing to evaluate peripheral vision, measurement of corneal thickness, and imaging of the optic nerve and retinal nerve fiber layer. Because glaucoma often has no symptoms, routine examinations are critical for early detection.
There is currently no cure for glaucoma, and vision loss that has already occurred cannot be reversed. However, glaucoma can be effectively managed in most patients with early diagnosis and consistent treatment. The goal of treatment is to lower intraocular pressure to a level that prevents further optic nerve damage and preserves remaining vision.
Treatment options include prescription eye drops to lower eye pressure, oral medications in some cases, laser procedures such as selective laser trabeculoplasty, minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS), and traditional incisional surgeries such as trabeculectomy or tube shunt placement. Treatment is individualized based on the type and severity of glaucoma, patient response to therapy, and other health factors.
Patients diagnosed with glaucoma generally require follow-up visits every three to six months, though this interval may be adjusted based on disease severity and treatment response. Consistent attendance at follow-up appointments is essential because glaucoma progression can only be monitored through regular testing of eye pressure, visual fields, and optic nerve imaging.
All of our doctors are trained to recognize and treat glaucoma issues. However, once significant risk or damage has occurred, our doctors will often refer to one of our partners who is a sub-specialist trained to manage the more severe cases. Our sub-specialty trained doctors are Dr. Ashley Lesley and Dr. Brian Welcome.
Our modern, efficient facilities include four offices in Greenville, Simpsonville, and Easley. Each offers one-stop convenience for examinations, eyewear selection, purchase, and fittings.
