Stop the progression of glaucoma with advanced treatments from Eye Specialists of Louisiana.
Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the United States and is commonly referred to as ‘the silent thief.’
Nearly 50 percent of people with this condition don’t even realize they’re slowly going blind.
Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that damage your eye’s optic nerve and steal your eyesight. Glaucoma is often asymptomatic, and its effects are gradual, so you may not experience any warning signs until this eye disease is advanced.
This is one of the many reasons to check your eyes regularly—even if you don’t need corrective lenses. Early detection and careful, lifelong treatment can (in most cases) help you maintain your eyesight.
Eye Specialists of Louisiana recommend this screening schedule for glaucoma
While the exact cause of glaucoma remains unknown, several risk factors may increase your risk, including
All types of glaucoma can damage the optic nerve in your eye.
The fluid inside your eye, called aqueous humor, typically flows out of your eye through a mesh-like channel. For those with glaucoma, this channel gets blocked, and the liquid builds up, causing excess pressure in the eye. This extra pressure damages your vision by destroying the optic nerve that sends images to the brain.
When this happens, peripheral (side) vision is lost first, and if left untreated, vision loss progresses toward the center of your visual field. This can lead to blindness within a few years.
There are several types of glaucoma eye disease. Here are the two most prominent
Open-angle means the angle where the iris meets the cornea is as wide and open as it should be. Open-angle glaucoma develops slowly and is a lifelong condition that accounts for nearly 90% of all cases in the United States.
It is caused by the slow clogging of the eye’s drainage canals, leading to increased pressure in the eye and optic nerve damage. In severe cases, symptoms may include patchy blind spots or tunnel vision in one or both of your eyes.
Angle-closure glaucoma is less common and occurs when the angle between the iris and cornea is narrower and more closed than it should be. This results in blocked drainage canals, noticeable symptoms, and damage resulting from a sudden rise in intraocular pressure.
Symptoms include
If you experience one or more symptoms of acute angle-closure glaucoma, go to your nearest emergency room immediately.
Eye Specialists of Louisiana is highly skilled in the following state-of-the-art treatments
Protect your eyesight from silent thieves like glaucoma eye disease with regular, comprehensive eye exams.
To learn more about our surgical treatment options for glaucoma or to schedule an appointment, please call 225-768-7777. Our board-certified physicians look forward to helping you see clearly again.