Glaucoma
What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is an eye disease that causes the progressive loss of the nerve fibres of the eye that take visual information to the brain. It is usually associated with an intraocular pressure that is too high. This causes tunnel vision and eventual blindness. There are two main types of glaucoma:
1. Open-Angle Glaucoma or Simple Chronic Glaucoma
2. Angle-Closure Glaucoma or Narrow-Angle Glaucoma
Open Angle Glaucoma
Open angle glaucoma is associated with getting older, usually over 40 years old and especially if a close family member has had glaucoma. It can be related to taking certain medications, a previous eye injury, inflammation of the eye diabetes, or if you are short sighted.
Closed Angle Glaucoma
Closed angle glaucoma occurs in older people, often long-sighted and with developing cataracts. The earlier that glaucoma is diagnosed and treated the better vision you will maintain. Regular and frequent eye exams are recommended for a 6 month period to monitor treatment.
Open Angle Glaucoma Symptoms
- May have no symptoms
- Seeing worse in the dark than normal
Narrow Angle Glaucoma Symptoms
- Painful eye, especially at night
- Seeing worse in the dark than normal
- Haloes around lights
- Blurred vision
We Can Help With
Open-angle Glaucoma
Open-angle glaucoma is usually diagnosed during routine eye checks and is managed with long-term drops and drainage surgery. If you have suspected glaucoma, you require a directed and comprehensive examination, usually over 2 visits to the ophthalmologist. You will have an eye scan to check your nerve health and a visual field test to see if you have any vision defects from the glaucoma. It is usually treated with eye drops and sometimes tablets to lower the pressure often with a type of laser surgery that helps the eye drain fluid called selective laser trabeculoplasty. If these methods do not work, surgery to help the eye drain is offered.
Angle-Closure Glaucoma
Angle-closure glaucoma needs urgent treatment with drops or pills with an emergency laser procedure to make a hole in the iris to allow fluid to drain from the eye properly. All our consultant ophthalmologists at Edgbaston Eye Consultants are trained to manage patients with glaucoma. If drainage surgery is required, we usually refer our patients to our glaucoma surgical team for the most modern and effective surgery to treat the eye pressure.