Glaucoma is a condition of heightened pressure within the eye which causes damage to the optic nerve. It is one of the leading causes of blindness if left untreated. It cannot be cured, but it can be successfully managed. Those at high risk for this disease are those with a family history of glaucoma and diabetes, those diagnosed with diabetes, and those who have thin corneas. Common symptoms of untreated moderate glaucoma are general vision depression and progressive loss of peripheral vision.
Treatment for a patient with glaucoma typically includes a non-invasive check of the pressure inside the eye (intraocular pressure) and visual field tests that show the progression of the effect of glaucoma on a patient’s field of vision by testing the sensitivity of the nerve fiber layers. Cross-sectional retinal tomography imaging (optical coherence tomography) is also utilized to examine the nerve fiber layers for possible thinning or damage caused by glaucoma.
