Glaucoma:

Glaucoma affects about 3% of the normal population. Most people are surprised to learn that there are NOsymptoms when you have glaucoma in the early stages. You notice no pain, no change in vision, and no redness.

The eye contains a fluid called aqueous humor which is produced inside the eye. This fluid has nothing to do with the tears which is the produced outside the eye. The aqueous is also drained away at a certain rate to keep the eye formed properly. In glaucoma, the plumbing inside the eye becomes inadequate to drain the fluid and the fluid pressure rises. If the fluid pressure rises too high for too long, the optic nerve becomes damaged.

It is necessary to diagnose glaucoma early before damage occurs in order to prevent permanent damage.

There are two main types of glaucoma, open angle and narrow angle. Open angle glaucoma constitutes about 96% of cases and the characteristic is that the pressure slowly rises and causes damage to the optic nerve very slowly over months and years. There is no pain or redness and the two million nerve fibers of the optic nerve are slowly damaged. The damage occurs so slowly that the patient does not notice the changes. Prompt diagnosis can be made in the office with a complete eye exam supplemented by a few simple painless tests. Once the diagnosis is established, treatment is begun. Usually, eyedrops are all that is necessary to control the pressure and keep it low so that no damage occurs. These drops must in most cases be continued throughout life. Pressure must be monitored in the office to be sure that they continue to be effective. Sometimes, laser treatment may be necessary to control the pressure and sometimes surgery must be performed to maintain low pressures.

Narrow angle surgery is caused by a sudden complete closure of the drainage mechanism resulting in a sudden very high rise in pressure. This becomes an emergency because the extreme pressure can completely destroy the optic nerve in a matter of hour. Laser treatment must be carried out promptly to avoid disaster. Diagnosis of the tendency for the eye to do this can be made during a complete eye exam as well and early laser treatment will prevent the sudden attack for the life of the patient.

Pernoud Vision Institute has all the equipment necessary to diagnose and treat all types of glaucoma.