What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma develops when your eyes don't drain efficiently, and extra fluid in your eyeball puts pressure on your optic nerve and damages it. The extra pressure and optic nerve damage eventually lead to blindness.

At idoc Optical, Dr. Khoshbin Golriz and Dr. Rezvani diagnose and treat both primary open angle and closed angle glaucoma.

Primary open angle glaucoma is the most common type of this eye disease. It develops when the drainage angles in your eye are blocked, and your eyes can't drain fluid efficiently. As a result, the extra fluid accumulates and builds pressure in your eye. Open-angle glaucoma usually develops slowly. It doesn’t cause noticeable symptoms in its early stages.

Closed-angle glaucoma develops when your iris is too close to your drainage angle and covers the drainage angle opening. This inhibits effective drainage and leads to fluid buildup in your eyes. Closed-angle glaucoma usually develops slowly, but the disease can also develop rapidly in an episode referred to as an acute attack. If you have an acute attack of closed-angle glaucoma, you may have suddenly blurry vision and eye pain.

What are the symptoms of glaucoma?

Glaucoma usually develops slowly and is sometimes called the “silent thief of sight” because it often doesn't cause symptoms until your vision is already damaged. The most effective way to diagnose and treat glaucoma before it permanently damages your sight is to have routine eye exams.

Signs of an acute attack or advanced stages of glaucoma include:

• Severe pain in your eyes or forehead
• Decreased or blurred vision
• Blind spots in your peripheral vision
• Seeing rainbows or halos
• Nausea

You should make an appointment with us right away if you notice any of these symptoms.

What is the process for diagnosing glaucoma?

At idoc Optical, we use a variety of tests to identify and diagnose glaucoma, including the tonometry test that measures the pressure in your eye with a puff of air.

Our doctors also use a slit lamp to examine your eye structure, including your drainage angles and your optic nerve, for signs of damage. They will also test your peripheral vision for blind spots. If we diagnose glaucoma or another eye disease such as cataracts, you’ll need to have more frequent exams so we can monitor your eye health more closely

What is the treatment for glaucoma?

We offer medical and surgical treatment for glaucoma. In most cases, we treat glaucoma with medicated eye drops to unblock and open your drainage angles. However, if you have severe or advanced glaucoma, we may recommend surgical procedures, such as trabeculoplasty and iridotomy, to widen and open your drainage angles.

Call idoc Optical or make an appointment for an eye exam online today.