Glaucoma is a silent eye disease that slowly causes you to lose your vision over time. It can eventually cause vision to diminish and make tasks like reading or driving difficult. If not treated, glaucoma will cause blindness. At Vision Solutions in La Mesa and San Diego, CA, we provide eye exams to diagnose glaucoma and offer treatment that can preserve your vision. Prior to visiting us, learn more about how glaucoma can be managed below:
What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a disease that damages the optic nerve fibers in your eye over time. We are born with approximately 1.2 million individual nerve fibers, and we slowly lose these fibers with age. Glaucoma increases the rate of optic nerve fiber loss. It is painless and progressive and most of the time you do not even realize this is occurring. Unfortunately, if someone notices loss, glaucoma is likely in the middle or late stages of damage and this damage is irreversible. Risk factors for glaucoma include elevated eye pressure, aging, African American, Asian, or Hispanic descent, smoking, a close relative with glaucoma, and myopia. While it is more common in older adults, it can happen at any age. However, since glaucoma is gradual, it is important to receive regular eye exams.
If you have moderate to advanced glaucoma, you may experience patchy blind spots in your peripheral vision. In late-stage glaucoma, even the central vision becomes dim. As it progresses, you might have trouble seeing objects that are initially in your periphery and then eventually centrally. Early-stage glaucoma shows little to no vision loss, and elevated eye pressures are also not felt in the eye unless extremely high.
Managing Glaucoma
While any vision loss due to glaucoma cannot be reversed, the disease can be managed. You can utilize eye drops or oral medications prescribed by Dr. Peters to lower eye pressure. If these medications are not effective, she can recommend surgery to reduce the pressure in your eyes. Along with that, eating a healthy diet that is rich in copper and zinc, exercising regularly, and reducing caffeine intake, and discontinuing smoking can also help decrease eye pressure. In addition, regular eye exams can help us detect glaucoma early and provide treatment to slow down its progression.
Contact us for an Appointment Today
If you are concerned about glaucoma, our team at Vision Solutions in La Mesa and San Diego, CA, is happy to help. Once we evaluate your condition, we can develop a customized treatment plan to slow down the loss of optic nerve fibers to preserve your vision. To schedule your appointment, contact our office at (619) 461-4913 today. We look forward to assisting you!
