Glaucoma

About 3 million American adults have glaucoma today, a common cause of blindness. By taking the proper steps now and scheduling regular eye exams, you can fight glaucoma and keep your eyesight. Orest Krajnyk, MD, Sean McLoughlin, OD, and the dedicated team at Precision Eye Institute provide glaucoma diagnosis, management, and treatment at three locations in Edgewater, New Smyrna Beach, and Daytona Beach, Florida. To learn more about glaucoma, call the office nearest you, or request an appointment online today.

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases in which the optic nerve at the back of the eye is slowly damaged and then destroyed. Glaucoma is a leading cause of vision impairment and blindness, affecting approximately 2.5 million Americans.

In most people, glaucoma is caused by increased pressure inside the eye due to blockage of the circulation of fluid or its drainage. In some patients, the damage may also be caused by a poor blood supply to the optic nerve fibers, weakness in the nerve's structure, or a problem in the nerve fibers' health.

What are the symptoms of glaucoma?

With open-angle glaucoma, you don't typically experience noticeable changes early on. Later, you could experience blind spots in your side vision. You can get an open-angle glaucoma diagnosis during regular eye exams before it causes symptoms.

Acute angle-closure glaucoma often happens suddenly, so you might have symptoms that include:

• Headache
• Eye pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Blurry vision
• Halos around lights
• Rainbows around lights

These symptoms require emergency attention. Precision Eye Institute provides glaucoma eye screenings and can also treat glaucoma.

How is glaucoma treated?

You can prevent further glaucoma damage with various treatment options, including the following:

Eye drops

Eye drops reduce fluid production, improve fluid outflow, lower your eye pressure, and prevent glaucoma progression.

Laser peripheral iridotomy 

Laser peripheral iridotomy also described as 'laser iridotomy or simply termed iridotomy, is an acute angle-closure glaucoma treatment that creates a tiny opening in the outer border of your iris to open the blocked drainage angle and improve fluid outflow.

Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT)

Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT) is a form of laser surgery used to lower intraocular pressure in glaucoma. SLT is used when eye drop medications aren't reducing the eye pressure enough or are causing significant side effects. It can also be used as an initial treatment in glaucoma.

Glaucoma Laser Surgery is a procedure that Precision Eye Institute offers. SLT has been used for over 25 years in the United States and worldwide.

Who is a good candidate for SLT?

Patients with primary or secondary open-angle glaucoma, where the drainage system in the front part of the eye is open and need to lower their intraocular pressure (IOP), are eligible for the procedure. The Precision Eye Institute team will determine if you are a good candidate.

Precision Eye Institute offers glaucoma eye screening and care. Call the nearest office or request an appointment online today to learn more.