WHAT IS GLAUCOMA?:
Early Detection and Treatment are Key

Glaucoma is a condition that affects your optic nerve. The optic nerve is the cable that takes information from the eye (the camera) to the brain (think of this as the TV or movie that is produced by the images that are taken from the camera). When glaucoma affects your optic nerve it causes the fibers in the cable to thin, and disappear. Unfortunately, you may not notice initially because it starts out by affecting your peripheral vision. For this reason, routine eye examinations with dilation are important to screen for glaucoma. Once vision is lost, it is irreversible. It is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss worldwide. 

 

There are two main types of glaucoma, one is called open angle glaucoma and the other is closed angle glaucoma. This will likely be identified on the initial examination. Treatments for each slightly differs. In both cases a laser procedure and/or drops may be recommended. 

 

Sometimes early stages of glaucoma are difficult to identify on initial examination. Therefore, repeated tests over time are an important tool to screen for glaucoma. Some doctors may call this a “glaucoma suspect”. This means you warrant special testing to make sure if you develop glaucoma it would be in its earliest stage - and not yet affecting the vision.

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