Clearview Eye and Laser Medical Center

Some say that Glaucoma is on the rise these days. That's how it might seem, but the reality is that ophthalmologists are better now at finding it, and we have more people living to the age when it typically develops. The older we grow, the more at-risk we are for glaucoma, but some groups are more at risk.

• Those with a family history of glaucoma
• People with high blood pressure
• People with thinner corneas
• African-Americans and Asians – because they tend to have thinner corneas
• Diabetics

Glaucoma is increased pressure within the eye which slowly damages the optic nerve. This gradually shrinks your field of vision, so gradually that you won't notice it until a lot of it is already lost and can't be restored.

Glaucoma is not hard to live with if it's detected early. You just need to use your eyedrops as directed and go for your regular check-ups. There are several ways to detect glaucoma, such as:

• The Puff Test -- which shoots a puff of air at the eye to measure its pressure
• Visual Field Test -- which is done with a machine you look into for about 20 minutes. Tiny lights flash on and off, here and there, and each time you see one, you press a little button on a computer-mouse-like device. A print-out will show a diagram of each eye's visual field and where vision is lost, because you didn't see the lights flash on in that area.
• A Pressure Test -- where a machine touches the cornea to detect the intraocular pressure. For this you have numbing eyedrops, and there's no pain or discomfort.
• Use of a gonioscope to examine the eye's drainage system. Dr. Feldman would first numb your eyes, then gently hone in through her slit lamp and the goniolens. (The slit lamp is that tall lens apparatus which is usually in examination rooms. It focuses a bright light into your eye as you rest your chin and forehead against it.)
• Use of a pachymeter to measure corneal thickness.

There are other tests too, and putting it all together, Dr. Feldman can tell you whether you are beginning to show signs of glaucoma. If you are, you would come for regular eye checks to monitor your progress, and start using the special eyedrops to lower the eyes' pressure.

Don't wait too long! As with cancer, early detection is crucial.

• LASIK
• PRK
• IntraLase
• Presbyopia
• Implantable Contact Lenses
• Intacs
• Cataracts
• BOTOX®

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