Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness and the first leading cause of preventable blindness. Pepose Vision is well-known as a leader in diagnosis and management, both in the Bi-State region and the entire United States.
Glaucoma is a permanent loss of side vision caused by damage to the optic nerve. It is often caused by pressure buildup in the eye, but can also be triggered by other factors. The GRF estimates that more than 3 million Americans have this condition, but only half of these people know they have it. Approximately 120,000 people go blind from glaucoma each year, accounting for 9-12 percent of all new cases of blindness in the United States.
If you have diabetes or certain other medical or eye conditions, your primary medical doctor or comprehensive ophthalmologist can help you to determine when and how often to see a retina specialist.
There are several forms of glaucoma; the two most common forms are primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and angle-closure glaucoma (ACG).
There are typically no early warning signs or symptoms of POAG. It develops slowly and sometimes without noticeable sight loss for many years. Most people who have open-angle glaucoma feel fine and do 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.
By the time a patient is aware of vision loss, the disease is usually quite advanced. In fact, open-angle glaucoma is often called “the sneak thief of sight” because it has no symptoms until significant vision loss has occurred. Vision loss from glaucoma is not reversible with treatment, even with surgery.
Because POAG has few warning signs or symptoms before damage has occurred, it is important to see a doctor for regular eye examinations. If detected during an eye exam, your eye doctor can prescribe a preventative treatment to help protect your vision.
In POAG, the angle in your eye where the iris meets the cornea is as wide and open as it should be, but the eye’s drainage canals become clogged over time, causing an increase in internal eye pressure and subsequent damage to the optic nerve. It is the most common type of glaucoma, affecting about four million Americans, many of whom do not know they have the disease.
You are at increased risk of glaucoma if your parents or siblings have the disease, if you are African-American or Latino, and possibly if you are diabetic or have cardiovascular disease. The risk of glaucoma also increases with age.