Eye diseases sometimes develop without symptoms. That means you can have an eye problem and not even know it.
Glaucoma can affect your eyes before you know you have it, and without proper treatment, it can lead to blindness. In fact, it’s a leading cause of blindness. Fortunately, there are ways we can help you avoid total vision loss.
Hena A. Khaja, MD, Soha Rafi, OD, and our experienced medical team at Texas Eye Doctors help the residents of McKinney, Texas, with a wide variety of eye conditions, including managing problems associated with glaucoma.
People with this eye disease have increased eye pressure, which leads to damage to the crucial and delicate areas of the eyes that you need to see.
Many forms of glaucoma are progressive diseases, meaning they develop and worsen gradually and can potentially cause vision impairment or complete blindness.
While there are many types of glaucoma, most forms fall under these specific types:
With this type, the drainage system, where the white of the eye and the outer edge of the iris meet, is open, but there is a blockage downstream
Primary angle closure
In this version, the drainage system is fully closed, blocking fluid from exiting. This can occur if the lens of your eye presses too far forward or if you have the anatomy of a smaller eye.
Secondary glaucoma results from another eye problem that increases eye pressure, which can happen due to eye injuries, uveitis, some eye procedures, and some medications.
This happens during fetal development, where changes or abnormalities cause issues with eye pressure.
Preexisting illnesses like diabetes, sickle cell anemia, hypertension, and migraine can exacerbate issues with eye pressure.
The risk of glaucoma also increases in people with:
It also affects people with narrow drainage angles in their eyes, as well as those over 55 and those of Black, Asian, or Hispanic heritage.
When symptoms appear, you may notice:
Infants and children may have decreased blinking, crying without tears, cloudy eyes, and myopia.
Routine vision tests can be a big help in detecting glaucoma in its early stages to avoid the possible complications that hinder vision. But once the damage is done, it’s not reversible. At that point, the goal of treatment is to prevent further harm.
Other steps can help manage the effects of glaucoma, like:
We can help through medical and surgical means. Prescription eye drops can relieve eye pressure by decreasing fluid production, while laser trabeculoplasty opens clogged drainage channels. Both methods can reduce the impact glaucoma has and keep it from getting worse.
If you’re at risk of glaucoma or think you may be experiencing symptoms, make an appointment with our staff at Texas Eye Doctors today.
