Glaucoma

As many as 3 million Americans have glaucoma, the second most common cause of vision loss. At Vistasite Eye Care in the Elmhurst neighborhood of Queens, New York, skilled optometrists and the team specialize in diagnosing and treating glaucoma. Though there’s no cure, intervention can prevent the condition from worsening. Call the office and request a glaucoma consultation, or book one online today.

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma refers to several conditions that damage the optic nerve –– a crucial component at the back of your eye that sends visual information from your eye to your brain. Without treatment, it increases the risk of low vision and, ultimately, blindness. 

What are the symptoms of glaucoma?

The symptoms of glaucoma depend on the type and stage of the condition. Telltale signs include:

• Patchy blind spots in your vision
• Eye pain
• Burred vision
• Seeing halos around lights
• Gradual loss of side vision

If you have any of these symptoms, contact the team at Vistasite Eye Care.

What are the types of glaucoma?

The team at Vistasite Eye Care treats various types of glaucoma, including:

Open-angle glaucoma

This type of glaucoma occurs when the back of your eye fails to drain properly. If the fluids build up in your eye, pressure increases on your optic nerve, causing permanent damage.

Angle-closure glaucoma

Angle-closure glaucoma causes your iris bulges outward, preventing your eye from draining. The blockage allows fluid to build up, damaging your optic nerve.

Normal-tension glaucoma

Normal-tension glaucoma causes damage to your optic nerve without an increase in eye pressure. Instead, it’s due to atherosclerosis (the buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries).

How is glaucoma diagnosed?

Your Vistasite Eye Care provider reviews your health charts, asks about your symptoms, and completes an eye exam. Then, they order several tests, including:

• Tonometry (to measure your intraocular pressure)
• Imaging tests (to check for optic nerve damage)
• Visual field tests (to check for vision loss)
• Gonioscopy (to measure your eye’s drainage angle)

After gathering the necessary information, your provider makes treatment recommendations.

How is glaucoma treated?

Damage caused by glaucoma can’t be reversed, but it’s possible to slow the disease’s progression. Typically, the Vistasite Eye Care team recommends routine preventive checkups to monitor your vision loss combined with prescription eye drops.

Some of the most common prescription eye drops include:

• Prostaglandins (drops that increase the outflow of fluid in your eye)
• Beta blockers (drops that reduce the production of eye fluid)
• Alpha-adrenergic agonists (drops that reduce the fluid that flows through your eyes)
• Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (drops that slow the production of eye fluid)

Your provider might prescribe more than one kind of eye drop, depending on the type of glaucoma you have.

Call Vistasite Eye Care to learn more about the treatment options for glaucoma, or use the online booking feature today.