Diagnosing and Care for Glaucoma

Statistics show that glaucoma is one of the main causes of blindness in the United States and the rest of the world. The American Academy of Ophthalmology knows how glaucoma can worsen over time. Proper diagnosis and treatment can prevent vision loss. If you want to determine the proper diagnosis and care for glaucoma, here’s what you should know.

 

Diagnosis

Your eye care provider will perform the following diagnostic tests after taking your medical history:

• Gonioscopy. This is a painless eye exam that can check your eye’s drainage angle. Your drainage angle is where aqueous humor flows out. This exam allows your eye doctor to see if your drainage angle is functioning correctly.

• Visual field test. Eye specialists use this test to see the extent of your vision in each eye. A visual test is also a way to see if you already have some degree of vision loss.

• Dilated eye exam. Expect your eye care provider to administer dilating eye drops during this exam. This eye test enables your eye doctor to examine your optic nerve.

• Pachymetry. In this eye exam, eye care providers use a pachymeter to measure your cornea’s thickness.

Care

Specialists say that glaucoma is irreversible. Proper care and constant eye exams can delay or even prevent loss of vision. Glaucoma treatment focuses on reducing your IOP (intraocular pressure). Below are the common methods of care for patients with glaucoma:

• Prescription oral medications. These are carbonic anhydrase inhibitors that can help lower your IOP. Common side effects are kidney stones, depression, stomach discomfort, frequent urge to urinate, and tingling in toes and fingers.

• Prescription eye drops. Eye specialists prescribe eyedrops to enhance the way your aqueous humor flows out of your eye. These eye drops can reduce the fluid that your eyes manufacture as well. A few examples of these eye drops are prostaglandins, miotic agents, and rho kinase inhibitors. Some of these eye medications enter your bloodstream, resulting in adverse effects. In case you have to use several eye drops, you should have five-minute intervals when administering each.

• Therapies. Your eye doctor can also resort to using special techniques. MIGS, laser therapy, drainage tubes, and filtering surgery are the most common ones. MIGS, or minimally invasive glaucoma surgery, can lower your IOP. This method is usually combined with cataract surgery. Another is laser therapy, which is also known as laser trabeculoplasty. This one is for treating open-angle glaucoma. Your eye specialist can use drainage tubes to reduce your IOP and remove excess fluids. Trabeculectomy or filtering surgery is another useful technique. It removes a section of your trabecular meshwork and creates an opening in your sclera.

Glaucoma is a serious eye condition that affects many people. With proper diagnosis and care, you can slow down its progression and prevent vision loss. At Ridgeview Eye Care, we provide only high-quality diagnostic exams and treatments that can help improve your optic health. Please drop by our clinics in Olathe, Kansas and De Soto, Kansas, for an in-person meeting. You can contact us by dialing 913-270-8598 (Olathe) or 913-270-6017 (De Soto). By doing so, we can assist you in scheduling your appointment. We can also answer your inquiries about our treatment packages for glaucoma.

References:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/glaucoma/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20372846

https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/glaucoma-eyes