| Q. |
What is glaucoma? |
| A. |
Glaucoma occurs when pressure in the eye
damages the eye causing loss of vision. |
| Q.
|
How high does the pressure need to be to
cause this damage? |
| A. |
Normally the eye pressure is between 10 and
20. Glaucoma usually occurs at higher pressures, but can occur with normal pressure in
many instances. |
| Q. |
How does glaucoma feel? |
| A. |
people with the most common type of glaucoma
feel nothing related to the disease. This is why glaucoma often worsens before it is even
discovered in many patients. Acute glaucoma is an entirely different disease. It is less
common and may cause eye pain, blurred vision, headache and sometimes nausea, in addition
to a red eye. |
| Q. |
How does glaucoma affect my vision? |
| A. |
The peripheral or "side-vision" is
first to disappear. This may worsen for a long time before the patient realizes he/she has
glaucoma. In the end, glaucoma can cause total blindness. |
| Q.
|
How important is the pressure measurement in
diagnosing glaucoma? |
| A. |
It is extremely helpful, but is only one
part of the complete glaucoma evaluation. The doctor must also examine the patient’s
optic nerve for evidence of damage. If there is any suspicion of damage, a visual field
(side-vision) test is done to check for blind spots in the vision. |
| Q. |
How is pressure measured? |
| A. |
The ophthalmologist tests the vision with an
instrument called a tonometer. The patient feels nothing during this test. At our office,
and "air-puff" instrument is never used because it bothers patients and is less
accurate. |
| Q.
|
I have had my pressure checked at a
screening fair every year and it has never been above the high teens. Can it be possible
that I now have glaucoma? |
| A. |
Unfortunately, pressure screening programs
cannot guarantee a person that he/she does not have glaucoma. As mentioned above, glaucoma
can occur in spite of normal pressure readings. The only way to rule out glaucoma is by a
complete ophthalmologic exam. |
| Q. |
My ophthalmologist suspects I may be
developing glaucoma, however today he simply has taken photos and asks me to return in 6
months. Why is this? |
| A. |
Glaucoma is a slowly progressive disease and
the photos are necessary to compare the appearance of the optic nerve at later visits. A
slight change in 6 months compared to the photos from today may indicate the necessity of
treatment for glaucoma. |
| Q. |
How is glaucoma treated? |
| A.
|
For most patients, eyedrops will lower the
pressure to normal. Other patients require a painless laser treatment to lower the
pressure. Sever cases may even require a trip to the operating room for glaucoma surgery. |
| Q. |
If the doctor suspects glaucoma, why not go
ahead with treatment instead of waiting and watching? |
| A.
|
The medicines used to treat glaucoma may
cause side effects. In addition, the must be used every day for the rest of the
patient’s life, costing time and money. Therefore, it is important to decide
carefully whether or not to commit someone to treatment. |
| Q. |
My mother had glaucoma. Does this increase
my changes of having glaucoma? |
| A. |
Yes. Glaucoma is hereditary and a strong
family history is a good reason to have your eyes carefully examined. |
