Questions regarding Glaucoma

GLAUCOMA

What is glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a condition in which the eye’s intraocular pressure (IOP) is too high. This means that your eye has too much aqueous humor in it, either because it produced too much, or because it’s not draining properly. Other symptoms are optic nerve damage and vision loss.

How can the eye doctor diagnose glaucoma?
Doctors may measure IOP by pressing an instrument called an applanation tonometer against your eye to determine how much resistance there is. Your doctor may also want to check for optic nerve damage by dilating your eyes, or to check for vision loss with a visual field test

Who’s at the most risk for glaucoma?
If you’re over age 60, African-American, diabetic or have a family member with glaucoma, you are at higher risk for glaucoma than others.

What are the signs and symptoms of glaucoma?
There are usually no signs that you’re developing glaucoma until vision loss occurs, which is why it’s so important to have regular eye exams. Your eye doctor can diagnose and treat high IOP before it progresses to optic nerve damage and vision loss.

What glaucoma treatments are currently available?
Doctors usually prescribe special eyedrops that reduce intraocular pressure. If the drops don’t work, surgery may be the next step.