The Symptoms of Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a major eye health issue that affects many people each year. The disease involves an excessive build up of pressure within the eye that affects the optic nerve. The most difficult thing about catching glaucoma is that symptoms of this serious disease may not even show up until the glaucoma has progressed to an advanced stage. For this reason, you need to visit a  eye care specialist regularly and make sure that you undergo regular eye exams. Only by doing this can you ensure that a major health problem is caught early on and treated effectively.

While glaucoma may be hard to spot, there are a number of symptoms that you can keep in mind. A sure symptom common to glaucoma that people need to keep in mind is the loss of peripheral vision. This may happen gradually or abruptly, but must be taken seriously at all times.

It is important to keep in mind that certain groups may be more susceptible to glaucoma than others. In particular, people of African descent, people older then 50, people with diabetes, and people who have a family history of glaucoma run a risk of developing glaucoma.

There are, thankfully, many  glaucoma treatment options that are out there. If the glaucoma is caught sooner rather than later, the treatments used will generally be less invasive and involved. For glaucoma that is caught early, medications may be used to reduce intraocular pressure. More advanced glaucoma will require surgical treatment. The exact surgical treatment needed will be determined by the needs of the patient.

To learn more about your treatment options for glaucoma and other eye health issues, be sure to contact our Eustis, Clermont, or Leesburg eye care center.