Glaucoma

Glaucoma can lead to blindness if you don’t get an expert diagnosis and specialized treatment in a timely manner. Experienced ophthalmologist Elena Nguyen, MD, at ENvision Eye Care in Foster City, California, offers advanced screening for glaucoma, including cutting-edge optic nerve imaging. Dr. Nguyen also provides expert treatments for glaucoma, like selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT). Call ENvision Eye Care or book an appointment online today for prompt glaucoma diagnosis and treatment. 

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma affects the optic nerve at the back of your eye. This nerve sends information from your eyes to your brain, enabling you to see. When you have glaucoma, fluid buildup inside your eye puts pressure on your optic nerve and causes it to deteriorate.

Optic nerve destruction due to glaucoma is a significant cause of blindness across the United States, especially among older people. Tiny blind spots develop, usually starting in the peripheral or side vision, but you might not notice them until your optic nerve suffers irreversible damage. Detecting glaucoma early and treating it can prevent vision loss.

What causes glaucoma?

The fluid buildup in your eye that leads to optic nerve damage develops when something blocks the aqueous fluid drainage system.

Aqueous fluid or humor is a clear liquid in the front of your eye that your body constantly produces in small amounts. Older fluid drains out of the eyeball through a very small drainage system which maintains a constant pressure inside your eye.

A blockage in the aqueous fluid drainage system means excess liquid can’t drain away. Instead, pressure builds up as your body produces more fluid.  

Your risk of glaucoma is higher if other family members have the condition. Other factors that make you more vulnerable to glaucoma include age, previous eye injuries, and being of African descent.

What kind of glaucoma might affect me?

The most common form of this condition is chronic open-angle glaucoma. As you age, your eye’s aqueous fluid drainage system loses efficiency.

Angle-closure glaucoma is more unusual. It happens when the eye’s drainage angle becomes completely blocked. The obstruction is often due to the colored part of your eye (iris) covering the drainage angle. The result is a buildup of eye pressure that causes symptoms such as:

• Blurred vision
• Severe eye pain
• Headaches
• Nausea and vomiting
• Rainbow-colored halos around lights

Some people have both chronic open-angle glaucoma and acute angle-closure glaucoma.

How is glaucoma treated?

Damage caused by glaucoma is irreversible, but treatments are available that can prevent further harm. These include:

• Eye drops
• Selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT)
• Diode laser treatment
• Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery
• Gel stents
• Micro-stents
• Glaucoma valves

Dr. Nguyen specializes in glaucoma screening and management with eye drops and/or selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT), a form of laser surgery that lowers intraocular pressure in patients with glaucoma.

Attending regular eye exams is the best way to identify glaucoma early and prevent vision loss. Dr. Nguyen uses advanced visual field testing and optic nerve imaging to screen for glaucoma.

Call ENvision Eye Care to learn more about glaucoma or request an eye exam using the online booking feature today.