Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a group of eye disorders that can result in permanent blindness, and is almost never caught by the patient based on symptoms alone. That's why we screen for glaucoma at every annual exam, on every patient.
Overview
Glaucoma is one of the scariest eye diseases because you as the patient will never feel the symptoms until it's too late. We as the doctor have to catch it for you. If it's not caught early enough, it starts stealing your side vision and continues to creep in until all of your vision is gone.
Who's at Risk?
Glaucoma can affect anybody of any age/race/sex, etc., and risk increases with age, family history, race (African Americans and Hispanics), increased intraocular pressure (IOP), high myopia, and diabetes.
Detection
If you're at risk, you want an in depth evaluation to initiate treatment as soon as possible. The doctor will use specialized equipment and take optic nerve photos and OCT (think ultrasound) for examining structure, a visual field for examining function, gonioscopy to look at your eye's drainage system, intraocular pressure (IOP) to chart your eye's pressure over time, and corneal pachymetry to take into account into IOP measurements.
Treatment Options
Treatment centers around lowering intraocular pressure (IOP), either via medicated eye drops, surgery, or a combination of both. There is no cure for glaucoma, but it's progression can be slowed down if treatment is started early enough.