Glaucoma can manifest in four different ways, causing your vision to deteriorate over time. The symptoms typically don’t occur until significant vision loss has been done, which is why early detection is so important. Here is some insight into the four kinds of glaucoma, how they’re diagnosed, and how often you should visit an ophthalmologist.
At Harlem VistaSite Eye Care in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, Brittni Rodriguez, OD, and Sarah Quan, OD, can advise you on when you need screenings for eye diseases like glaucoma, and what to do next if you have signs of abnormal intraocular pressure.
Glaucoma is damage caused by pressure within the eye. This pressure affects your optic nerve, which feeds images back to your brain for interpretation.
The most common form of glaucoma is open-angle glaucoma, which occurs when the drainage system inside your eye begins to fail. This causes your intraocular pressure (IOP) to rise, slowly damaging the optic nerve. In its early stages, open-angle glaucoma is asymptomatic, but your peripheral (side) vision will become patchy as your condition progresses.
Sometimes, normal pressure levels are too high for your optic nerve. This can cause your eyes to become sensitive and painful, eventually leading to blurry vision. This is why you should never ignore even slight blurriness in your vision, especially if accompanied by eye strain.
Secondary glaucoma is the result of high IOP levels caused by another health condition. In many cases, the high pressure levels can be lowered by diagnosing and treating the root cause of the issue.
This is the most abrupt and dangerous kind of glaucoma. During acute angle-closure glaucoma, eye drainage becomes completely blocked. This causes your IOP to rise rapidly, putting your vision at immediate risk.
If you experience headache, eye pain, nausea, blurred vision, and/or visible halos around lights, seek medical help right away.
The most notable difference among the different kinds of glaucoma is what causes your IOP to rise. Symptoms can vary, but immediate attention is required in all cases. Loss of vision caused by glaucoma is permanent, and treatment is necessary to preserve what sight is left.
Glaucoma is diagnosed by an ophthalmologist, not an optometrist. This means that the exams taken to replace your glasses or contact lenses are not testing for glaucoma.
There are a number of ways to test for glaucoma. At Harlem VistaSite Eye Care, we use the latest technology to make your routine exams as fast and effective as possible.
First, the team uses a visual field machine to test your central and peripheral vision. Then, we take a scan of your retina using the Optomap® machine. This only takes a few minutes and causes no pain or discomfort.
Generally speaking, you should take an exam every three to five years. If you have a family history of glaucoma, you should go more frequently. After age 40, you should be having annual eye exams and screenings for glaucoma and other eye issues.
Overdue for an eye exam? Schedule an appointment with the team by calling 646-453-6506, or book an appointment online.
