The Importance Of Detecting Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a degenerative condition that affects the optic nerves of the eye. This occurs when there is differentiation or discrepancy in the eye pressure. It is necessary to detect glaucoma in its earliest phase because it may cause irreversible loss of vision.

The best way to know if you have glaucoma is to have a routine eye examination. Your eye doctor will determine the pressure within your eye. Some doctors will use the puff test where a small puff of air is directed into the eye while you attempt to keep the eye open. Other doctors will use a drop that numbs the eye temporarily, and usually leaves a yellow, sticky substance in the eye, and then put an instrument against the surface of the eye to determine the pressure.

If the pressure is unusually high or low, the doctor will usually recommend eyedrops as a treatment. The type of prescription drop the doctor recommends will depend on the type of glaucoma you are treating and your other health factors. If a doctor wants to treat, you for glaucoma and you have other medical problems including hearth diseases or breathing problems, it is very important to let your eye doctor know.

Some glaucoma eye drops can make heart or lung conditions worse. It has also been noted that while lasik surgery may not cause glaucoma it can interfere detection of glaucoma so ask your eye doctor’s guidance should you want to consider this surgery.

This is also why it is so important to be accurate when completing a medical history sheet for your doctor and know if your family members suffer from chronic diseases like glaucoma. Glaucoma tends to run in families, so if your grandmother had it, you doctor should be checking you more closely than someone without a family history of glaucoma.

In extreme cases, when the pressure within the eye has gotten to double or triple its normal level, glaucoma can cause extreme pain and sudden onset vision loss or impairment. At these times, the doctor must get the pressure in the eye down rapidly. Usually, this will involve multiple drops and a diuretic and several hours in the doctor’s office.

The causes of glaucoma can vary from a family history to a traumatic injury, so prevention is not necessarily an option, but early detection and treatment can save your eyesight. If you already had lasik surgery, you must discuss it first with you phoenix lasik eye doctor before getting glaucoma screening.