Over 4 million Americans have glaucoma, yet only half of those know they have it. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world; receiving a diagnosis can have a silver lining: You know it’s there, which means you can take steps to protect your vision.
Glaucoma happens when the optic nerve in your eye — which carries visual information from your eye to your brain — becomes damaged. While existing optic nerve damage can’t be reversed, the right treatment can lower pressure inside your eye and help slow or prevent additional vision loss.
At Bainbridge Eye Care in Bronx, New York, Dr. Nicanor Lacsina and Dr. Yelena Pinkhasova have over 20 years of experience helping New Yorkers manage glaucoma.
So if you’ve recently learned you have glaucoma, take a moment as our team explains what happens after you receive a glaucoma diagnosis.
Once you’ve been diagnosed, one of our priorities is determining where your eye health stands now so we can recognize future changes.
Your glaucoma evaluation may include:
We may also evaluate the drainage angle inside your eye and measure your cornea’s thickness, since corneal thickness can affect how our team interprets eye-pressure readings.
Together, all of these tests help us understand the type and severity of your glaucoma.
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases, so knowing which type of glaucoma you have is often our starting point for shaping your treatment plan.
The average eye pressure is between 10 and 21 mmHg. Yet, some people with glaucoma are indeed within this range, and some people who don’t have glaucoma may have higher pressure. This means that there isn’t one perfect eye pressure that works for everyone with glaucoma.
So, instead, we may establish a target pressure, which is a range low enough to reduce the risk of additional optic nerve damage based on factors such as your current pressure, existing nerve damage, age, family history, and your specific risk of progression.
Your target eye pressure goal may also change in time. For example, if testing shows that your glaucoma is progressing despite reaching your initial pressure goal, we may need to lower the goal further.
For many people, glaucoma treatment starts with prescription eye drops to lower intraocular pressure.
There are many different types of eye drops for glaucoma, which may include:
These all work in different ways. Some decrease the amount of fluid your eye produces, while others help fluid drain more effectively. Some, like alpha agonists, help prevent pressure spikes after laser surgery.
Depending on your needs, you may use one medication or a combination.
Use eye drops as directed and stay consistent. Set a reminder on your phone if you need help remembering to take your eye drops each day.
Eye drops aren’t the only way to manage glaucoma. Depending on the type and severity of your glaucoma, your response to medication, and other factors, we may recommend laser treatment.
Laser treatment for glaucoma may lower eye pressure and help improve fluid drainage.
Some people may eventually require surgery, particularly when medications and laser treatment aren’t controlling pressure adequately, or if their glaucoma continues to progress.
At follow-up visits, Dr. Nicanor Lacsina and Dr. Yelena Pinkhasova monitor your eye pressure and periodically repeat visual field testing, optic nerve imaging, and other exams. Comparing new results with your baseline lets us look for subtle changes you may not notice yourself.
Learning that you have a lifelong eye condition can feel overwhelming; however, glaucoma is treatable, and finding it gives you and your eye doctor here at Bainbridge Eye Care an opportunity to take action.
Questions? Use our Request an Appointment button or call us at 718-306-9127 today.
