Glaucoma: Signs, Symptoms, and Diagnosis

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in the United States today.  Our doctors have been treating patients for glaucoma in the Charlotte-metro area as well as Gaston County, Clover, and Lake Wylie, South Carolina for over 20 years.

One reason that glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness is that it does not have any symptoms.  Glaucoma causes a rise in the intraocular pressure of the eye which presses on the optic nerve causing a slow atrophy of the optic nerve.

One of the tests that are done at an eye exam is a measurement of the intraocular pressure.  This measurement is only one of several tests that are used to determine any signs of glaucoma.

The doctors at Complete Eye Care also use pictures of the retina, which is the back of the eye, to look for small changes from one year to the next to determine possible glaucoma damage.  By evaluating the retinal photos taken from one year to the next, our doctors can look for small changes to the optic nerve which can mean early glaucoma damage.

Complete Eye Care also has four other high-tech machines which can easily and painlessly detect early glaucoma.  They include:

1. A threshold visual fields test, which looks for small changes in the visual field threshold before they can affect the peripheral vision.
2. An OCT scan, which is a scan of the optic nerve which enables the doctor to look for subtle changes to the nerve before they can be seen by the retinal photographs.
3. A VEP test, which measures the electrical activity in the vision system.  It is a painless way to measure the strength of the signal reaching your visual cortex and how fast it gets there.
4. An ERG test, which uses electroretinography technology to help eye care specialists gain objective, functional information about the performance of the inner retinal cells of the eye.

Having these four pieces of high technology equipment located right in our Belmont office, enables Drs. Vaher, Marcussen, and Gesford to detect glaucoma at the earliest possible time.  All of the doctors at Complete Eye Care are residency trained and have treated glaucoma for years.

Glaucoma is a very treatable eye disease which is often easily managed with special eye drops.  The doctors at Complete Eye Care can prescribe eye drops which are often effective at lowering eye pressure which prevents any further damage to the optic nerve.  This then prevents any needless loss of sight.  An annual eye exam is your best defense against any needless loss of vision from glaucoma or other sight threatening conditions.

Remember, glaucoma does not have any symptoms, so you won’t be able to detect glaucoma yourself.  Only an annual eye exam can pick up glaucoma and then your vision can be saved with proper treatment.  Don’t be too busy to protect your most valuable asset.  Schedule your annual eye health exam at Complete Eye Care soon!