Glaucoma is a term that describes a condition in which ocular pressure mounts. This pressure can inflict damage on the optic nerve, and this can cause irreversible vision loss. Clarity Eye Group offers a few types of treatment to help protect glaucoma patients’ eyesight. Our team of eye doctors has compiled some critical facts for you to help ensure you take the steps necessary to maintain quality vision:
1. You May Have Glaucoma and Not Know It
Nearly half of the people with glaucoma in the United States are unaware that they have the condition. The reason for this low diagnosis rate is that the symptoms are minor and often slow to progress. Even as your vision worsens, you may attribute these changes to aging or other factors, thus allowing glaucoma to go undetected.
Fortunately, you do not need to have significant symptoms to determine that you have glaucoma. By undergoing regular, comprehensive eye exams, your doctor can look for signs of glaucoma that may not be as apparent to you. With an early diagnosis, you have the best opportunity to protect more of your eyesight in the long term.
2. Glaucoma Can Lead to Blindness
Nationally and internationally, glaucoma consistently ranks as one of the leading causes of blindness. Eye experts estimate that about 200,000 Americans have gone blind due to glaucoma. Because of how often it goes undiagnosed, glaucoma can steal a lot of vision before a patient seeks treatment. Moreover, any amount of vision lost to glaucoma cannot be restored.
3. Glaucoma Is an Umbrella Term
Glaucoma is not a singular condition, but rather a term that can describe many conditions that result in pressure buildup in the eye. Most cases of glaucoma fall into one of two categories: open-angle glaucoma or angle-closure glaucoma. Open-angle glaucoma occurs more slowly and has sub-types including primary open-angle glaucoma, low-pressure glaucoma, angle-recession glaucoma, congenital glaucoma and pigmentary glaucoma. Angle-closure glaucoma occurs at a much more rapid pace and includes acute angle-closure glaucoma, secondary angle-closure glaucoma, neovascular glaucoma and chronic angle-closure glaucoma. The exact type of glaucoma you have can affect the symptoms that you experience as well as the appropriate treatment plan.
4. Glaucoma Has No Cure
Although experts continue to search for a cure to glaucoma, none has been found so far. Instead, eye doctors offer treatments that are known to dramatically slow the progression of glaucoma and help patients maintain a higher quality of sight for a longer period. With early treatment, it is possible for many glaucoma patients to maintain sufficient eyesight for the rest of their lives.
Visit Clarity Eye Group for Glaucoma Treatment
The outstanding team of doctors at Clarity Eye Group are among Orange County’s foremost experts on glaucoma. Book an appointment for an eye examination or schedule a consultation with a doctor to begin treatment for your open-angle or angle-closure glaucoma today.