Glaucoma is
the leading cause of preventable blindness in the United States. Unfortunately,
until in it's late stages there are few if any signs of the disease. Contrary
to popular belief only the rarest form of glaucoma (acute angle closure)
causes pain or blurred vision. Open angle glaucoma, which accounts for
about 90% of all glaucoma's is painless and does not blur the vision,
until it's in it's late stages.
Unfortunately, until recently there have been few medical devices to help
us diagnose glaucoma. Things have changed. With the advent of the Heidelberg
Retinal Tomograph (HRT) and the Zeiss-Humpheries 770 visual field analyzer,
diagnosing this condition has become much easier.
What
is Glaucoma?
The definition of glaucoma is "a progressive optic neuropathy, usually
accompanied by elevated intraocular pressure". The HRT is capable
of measuring changes in the optic nerve to .001mm!
In the past, a limitation of visual field testing alone is that 40-60%
of optic nerve fibers must be damaged before any change shows up on the
visual field test. Now with the HRT we are able to detect and treat glaucoma
much sooner, before such severe damage is done.
The cause of glaucoma is not clear, but there seems to be a blockage of
the outflow channel of fluid from the eye. If you think of the eye as
a bathtub, with a spout and drain; if the drain is clogged, the spout
doesn't know this and water continues to fill the tub until it overflows.
In the eye, which is a closed system has the drainage system clogged pressure
builds within the eye causing mechanical damage to the optic nerve itself.
There are probably other factors involved, such as impaired flow of blood
to the optic nerve and perhaps toxins that may play a role in optic neuropathy.
How
is glaucoma treated?
There are many new eye drops that are capable of controlling most glaucoma's.
Sometimes laser is used, or in extreme cases surgery is utilized to control
eye pressure.
Loss
of vision can be Prevented
The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends eye exams:
Age 20-39: African Americans or those with a family history of
glaucoma every 3 years, others once during this period.
Age 40-64: Every 2 years
Age 65 or older: Every year
Who
is at Risk?
1) Those with past ocular injury
2) Those of African ancestry
3) Those with a family history of glaucoma
4) The elderly
Griswold
Eye Care
We do care about your eyes! Therefore we utilize both the Heidelberg Retinal
Tomograph II and the Zeiss-Humperies 770 visual field tester, to give
you the best eye care possible. There is no reason for glaucoma to steal
your vision in today's world. They used to call glaucoma "the sneak
thief of sight", because of its lack of symptoms in the patient.
Click
here for Dr. Griswold's Office Information
or
Click
here for Updates from Dr. Griswold.
Mark
L. Griswold, DO
1521 East Tangerine Rd, Ste 301
Tucson, 85737
520.797.9700