Adults should get comprehensive eye exams at least once every two years, but many of us forsake them because we get busy, forget, or just don’t experience any problems with our eyes. However, some severe eye conditions, like glaucoma, can be present in your eyes and cause vision damage before you notice any symptoms.
Luckily, optometrists can detect and diagnose early signs of glaucoma. While glaucoma is not a preventable disease, early detection gives you more options for treatment to protect as much of your vision as possible.
What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a group of diseases that damage the optic nerve in your eye, which can cause irreversible vision loss. It’s often referred to as “the silent thief of sight” because it can progress without noticeable symptoms until significant vision loss occurs, making it one of the leading causes of blindness in Canada.
Glaucoma is particularly dangerous because it can lead to irreversible vision loss. Abnormally high pressure in the eye damages the optic nerve fibres, which cannot be repaired once they are damaged.
Different Types of Glaucoma
There are several types of glaucoma, but the most common form (90%) is open-angle glaucoma, which develops slowly and painlessly over time. Other types of glaucoma are:
- Angle-closure (acute) glaucoma is an uncommon but serious medical emergency since it can cause vision loss within a day; it can occur gradually or appear suddenly when the drainage system inside the eye becomes blocked, causing symptoms like pain, blurry vision, nausea, vomiting, and headaches
- Congenital (or pediatric) glaucoma is often present in children with eye problems
- Secondary glaucoma is often caused by an injury, surgery, infection, or tumour near the eye
- Normal tension glaucoma damages the optic nerve even with eye pressure remaining in the normal range
While early-stage glaucoma typically has no symptoms, as the condition progresses, it causes a loss of side or peripheral vision or tunnel vision. Depending on the type of glaucoma, other symptoms can include:
- Eye pain
- Eye redness
- Tearing
- Light sensitivity
- Blurry vision
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Rapid progression of vision loss
How is Glaucoma Detected?
Without symptoms, it can be difficult to tell if you have glaucoma. Fortunately, a routine comprehensive eye exam can detect signs. Optometrists use a variety of tests to assess your eye health, including measuring intraocular pressure, examining the optic nerve, and testing your visual field.
- A tonometry test measures the pressure in your eyes by seeing how your cornea responds to pressure on the surface of your eye
- A gonioscopy test inspects your eye’s drainage angle
- An ophthalmoscopy test can evaluate the condition of your optic nerves by using a powerfully magnified light
- A visual field test can detect patterns of vision loss by measuring all areas of your eyesight
In their comprehensive eye exams, many eye care practices include testing for diseases like glaucoma. You can ask your optometrist if they’ll test you for glaucoma at your next appointment.
Who is at Risk of Developing Glaucoma?
Even though glaucoma often presents with no symptoms, there are some risk factors to be aware of that may put you at an elevated risk for developing glaucoma, including:
- Increased age over 60
- Family history of glaucoma
- African or Hispanic descent
- Physical injury to the eye
- Cardiovascular conditions (like diabetes, high/low blood pressure, heart conditions, etc.)
- Some eye-related conditions (like eye tumours, eye inflammation, retinal detachment, decreased optic nerve tissue, etc.)
If any of these apply, ask your optometrist about glaucoma testing at your regular comprehensive eye exams.
How is Glaucoma Treated?
While glaucoma is not preventable, it can be managed to slow its progression and preserve vision effectively. Treatment varies based on the type and severity of glaucoma you’re diagnosed with.
Medications
Several medications are available to treat glaucoma, but typically, they come in the form of eye drops to help reduce intraocular pressure and prevent further damage to the optic nerve. Depending on your specific eye needs, you may be prescribed a single medication or a combination of medicines, which may change if they don’t provide enough reduction of glaucoma’s adverse effects.
Surgery
When medication is insufficient, several surgical options are available to help reduce eye pressure or improve fluid drainage, including laser trabeculoplasty, trabeculectomy, drainage implants and laser peripheral iridotomy. Laser treatments are typically performed in an outpatient setting.
Your optometrist can tell you more about these options if you need them.
Other Conditions Optometrists Can Diagnose
While glaucoma is a significant concern, optometrists are also skilled in diagnosing a variety of other conditions during comprehensive eye exams:
- Cataracts, an age-related condition that causes the lens of the eye to become cloudy
- Diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes that affects the blood vessels in the retina
- High blood pressure, caught by unusual bends of bleeding in the back of the eye
- High cholesterol, seen by yellow or blue rings around the cornea
- Lupus, an inflammatory disease that can also cause dry eyes
- Macular degeneration, which impacts the retina and can cause a loss of central vision
- Sexually transmitted infections like syphilis, herpes, chlamydia, and HIV can all affect layers of the eyes
Regular comprehensive eye exams can lay to rest any anxieties about these conditions. Warman eyecare focuses on making eye care as easy as possible for our patients in just this way. Contact us today to schedule your next eye exam!
