About Glaucoma
Primary open-angle glaucoma is the second most common cause of visual loss among seniors. Risk factors other than increasing age include family history of glaucoma, high blood pressure, diabetes, African ethnic heritage, nearsightedness and elevated intraocular pressure.
Early diagnosis and treatment can prevent optic nerve damage and subsequent vision loss but if left untreated, this condition can lead to blindness. Treatment may involve eyedrops but if the intraocular pressure is not controlled with eye drops, surgical intervention may be necessary. Because pain or other obvious symptoms are not associated with open-angle glaucoma, regular eye health and vision examination is vital.
In addition to your eye health and vision examination, other non-invasive tests may be performed to determine if there is any vision loss and/or progression of loss. Vision loss begins in the peripheral visual field and progresses inward to central vision. We cannot recover vision loss, but with treatment, the progression of loss can be stabilized.
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