Eye Physicians and
Surgeons, P.A.
Eye Physicians and
Surgeons, P.A.Glaucoma is a general term used to describe a group of diseases of the eye, all having the common characteristic of pressure within the eye that is greater than the eye can withstand and remain healthy. What do we mean by eye pressure? In the front part of the eye, there is a watery fluid that keeps the eyeball firm and the inside clear. Under normal circumstances, this fluid constantly flows into and out of the eye, keeping a perfect balance between the fluid made and the fluid drained out of the eye into tiny veins. In glaucoma, the drain is partially blocked. Since the eye continues to make fluid at a normal rate, the backup of fluid increases the fluid pressure inside they eye. When the pressure gets too high, it causes damage to the delicate optic nerve which carries visual images from the back of the eye to the brain. Because the pressure at which damage develops varies from one person to another, the doctor decides just what pressure level is safe for each individual patient, and varies the treatment accordingly.
We, and most glaucoma specialists in the U.S., generally begin treatment of glaucoma with medication in the form of drops which lowers pressure either by decreasing the production of fluid, or by increasing the drainage of fluid from the eye. When drug therapy is not successful, laser (a powerful, finely-focused light beam) surgery can often add to the effect of medication and allow intraocular pressure control.
Diagram
showing the front of a normal eye, with the constant flow of
watery fluid from behind the iris, through the pupil, and out the
drain in the angle of the eye (see arrows).
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