Jan 08, 2021
1). Doctor, explain for us what is glaucoma?
Kaley, glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can cause vision loss and blindness by damaging a nerve in the back of your eye called the optic nerve.
The symptoms can start so slowly that you may not notice the signs. The only way to find out if you have glaucoma is to get a comprehensive dilated eye exam.
There is no cure for glaucoma, but early treatment can often stop the damage and protect your vision.
2). Are there different types of glaucoma?
There are many different types of glaucoma, but the most common type in the United States is called open-angle glaucoma — that is what most people mean when they talk about the disease. Other types of the glaucoma are less common, like angle-closure glaucoma and congenital glaucoma.
3). Does the disease present with any symptoms?
At first, glaucoma does not usually have any symptoms. That is why half of people with this disease do not even know they have it.
Over time, you may slowly lose vision, usually starting with your side (peripheral) vision — especially the part of your vision that is closest to your nose. Because it happens so slowly, many people cannot tell that their vision is changing, especially at first.
However, as the disease progresses, you may start to notice that you cannot see things off to the side anymore. Without treatment, glaucoma can eventually cause blindness. If you would like more information contact UHC Ophthalmology at 681-342-4525. Our new office is located at 1370 Johnson Avenue in Bridgeport.
This content was originally posted on the WDTV News website here.
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