Glaucoma Surgery in Redondo Beach, CA

What is Glaucoma?

In your eye, there is something called the optic nerve. This is a bundle of more than 1 million nerve fibers that carry visual messages to your brain. Sometimes the optic nerve can get damaged.

Glaucoma is a disease that damages your eye’s optic nerve due to fluid buildup in the front part of your eye. The fluid increases the pressure in your eye.

It is the leading cause of blindness for people over age 60 but can be prevented with early treatment.

Can Glaucoma Be Reversed?

The damage caused by glaucoma can’t be reversed. But treatment and regular checkups can help slow or prevent vision loss, especially if you catch the disease in its early stages.

How Do I Know if I Have Glaucoma?

For a glaucoma diagnosis, you will often visit your eye doctor. He or she may discuss your medical history, conduct an eye exam, or perform a series of tests.

Regular eye exams are essential to look for any changes over time. Many glaucoma patients have no symptoms.

These exams may include:

• measuring the pressure in the eye
• testing for optic nerve damage
• checking for vision loss
• measuring the thickness of your cornea
• inspecting the drainage angle

You should speak with your eye doctor if you have any areas of concern in order to get the answers you need to move forward with treatment.

Types of Glaucoma

There are two types of glaucoma – open-angle and acute angle-closure. With open-angle glaucoma, patients may not notice a change in their vision at first because the initial loss of vision is of side or peripheral vision, and the visual acuity or sharpness of vision is maintained until late in the disease. Acute angle-closure glaucoma sign and symptoms include severe eye pain, nausea and vomiting, sudden onset of visual disturbance (often in low light), blurred vision, halos around the eyes and reddening of the eyes.

The good news is that you can protect your vision against serious loss with early detection and treatment with Dr. Hecht.

Glaucoma Treatment Options

You can discuss with your doctor which treatment option is right for you. The main goal is to help lower eye pressure. Depending on the severity, you may decide on medication or surgical treatment.

medication

The most common medication for glaucoma is eyedrop medicine to help lower the amount of fluid the eye makes or help with drainage.

These prescription medications may include:

• Prostaglandins – to increase the outflow of fluid
• Beta-blockers – to reduce fluid production
• Alpha-adrenergic agonists –  reducing the clear fluid in the front of the eyeball called aqueous humor and improving outflow
• Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors – to reduce fluid production
• Rho kinase inhibitor – to lower eye pressure
• Miotic or cholinergic agents – less commonly used due to side effects
• Oral medications – if you are not responding well to eye drop medications, your doctor may prescribe an oral option to treat glaucoma

Your eye doctor can talk with you about your medication options. Some eye drops are given several times a day and others less often. You can discuss possible side effects and see which medicine will fit your eye goals and your lifestyle.

 Laser surgery

To help drain fluid from the eye, there are two main types of laser surgery for glaucoma. Laser surgery is typically done inside the office using one of these two approaches:

Trabeculoplasty – to help the drainage angle work better and is used if you have open-angle glaucoma.

Iridotomy – performed with a laser to create a tiny hole in the iris to help fluid flow to the drainage angle if you have angle-closure glaucoma.

Operating Room Surgery

There is a chance your doctor may recommend a more involved surgery for your glaucoma.

These procedures are done regularly and can help to protect your eye from vision loss.

Trabeculectomy – Performed by creating a tiny flap and a pocket to help the eye drain through the flap and into the pocket to be absorbed by the tissue around your eye.

Draining Devices– You may opt to have a tiny drainage tube implanted in your eye to send the fluid to a reservoir to be absorbed by nearby blood vessels.

Cataract Surgery – In this surgery, removing the eye’s natural lens can help lower eye pressure by creating more space for fluid to leave the eye.

Minimally-Invasive Surgery – There are special techniques that allow for improved healing and better surgical outcomes. Many of these surgical techniques can be done in a minimally-invasive way.

We Can Help

If you suspect you may have vision problems, including glaucoma, we can help.

The eye doctors at [name of practice] are highly trained in the latest medications and surgical techniques. We can help you get the relief you need to protect your eyesight for years to come.