Glaucoma is an eye disease that affects about three million individuals in the U.S. Not only that, but it is the second-leading cause of blindness worldwide. At South Center Eye Clinic, serving Tukwila, WA, we provide eye exams to help detect the disease early and provide treatment that can preserve your vision.
Understanding Glaucoma
Glaucoma occurs when the pressure in your eye is too high and damages the optic nerve, which is the part of the eye that communicates with the brain. The high pressure can also result in excessive fluid in the eye. In many cases, glaucoma is hereditary, but your lifestyle could contribute to the disease as well. For instance, if you smoke, you're at a greater risk of developing this eye disease.
Symptoms
The symptoms you experience will depend on the type of glaucoma that you have. With open-angle glaucoma, you may have patchy blind spots that affect your peripheral or central vision. In most cases, this type affects both eyes and you may develop tunnel vision if the form advances. However, you can develop acute angle-closure glaucoma. With this problem, we advise you to reach out to our optometrist for an appointment immediately, as it is a medical emergency. This type of glaucoma causes blurry vision, severe headaches, eye pain, or possibly each of these symptoms. In addition, you may see halos around lights and experience nausea and vomiting.
Complications
Glaucoma is a progressive disease, however, our optometrist can help slow down the progression. Since it leads to blindness in severe cases, we provide customized treatments to help preserve your vision.
Treatment
Eye exams are an important part of maintaining overall good health. During the exams, we can check your central vision and peripheral vision and evaluate the pressure in your eye. We may also assess the corneal thickness and drainage angle.
After a diagnosis, our optometrist will determine which treatment would be best suited for your condition. If you have glaucoma, we may prescribe eye drops to decrease pressure in your eye. We might also recommend medication, which can control the amount of fluid in your eyes. Oral medication might be affective for your specific case, as it can minimize eye pressure.
Contact us for an Appointment Today
If you are experiencing symptoms of glaucoma, our team at South Center Eye Clinic in Tukwila, WA, is happy to help. After an evaluation, we can develop a personalized treatment plan that can prevent vision loss. To learn more about our treatments and to schedule your appointment, call us at (206) 431-8770 today.
