Glaucoma is a disease that damages the optic nerve, the nerve that sends signals from the eye to the brain. Vision loss may be preventable if it is detected and glaucoma treatment is performed early on. However, if left untreated, permanent vision loss can occur. The damage to the optic nerve is usually caused by high intraocular pressure (IOP) due to the drainage area in the eye being blocked or not functioning properly.
This is the most common type of glaucoma. It happens gradually, where the eye does not drain fluid as well as it should (like a clogged drain). As a result, eye pressure builds and starts to damage the optic nerve. This type of glaucoma is painless and causes no vision changes at first.
Some people can have optic nerves that are sensitive to normal eye pressure. This means their risk of getting glaucoma is higher than normal. Regular eye exams are important to find early signs of damage to their optic nerve.
This type happens when someone’s iris is very close to the drainage angle in their eye. The iris can end up blocking the drainage angle. You can think of it like a piece of paper sliding over a sink drain. When the drainage angle gets completely blocked, eye pressure rises very quickly. This is called an acute attack. It is a true eye emergency, and you should call your ophthalmologist right away.
Here are the signs of an acute angle-closure glaucoma attack:
Some people have a higher than normal risk of getting glaucoma. This includes people who:
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Dr. Jamine Shechter is proud to offer patients Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT) for treatment for glaucoma. It is proven to reduce or eliminate the need for topical glaucoma medications along with their side effects. It has the potential to save our patients thousands of dollars in prescription medication costs and improve compliance. It is covered by insurance.
SLT has been scientifically proven to provide the same eye pressure control as the #1 prescribed glaucoma eye drop medication. One year after SLT more than 87% of patients reduced their eye drop medication use by at least one eye drop medication per day. SLT has now been in use for over a decade.
Dr. Shechter will examine you to see if you are a candidate. The SLT machine is brought into our office. The laser energy is applied to the drainage tissue in the eye. As it heals, it results in better drainage of the fluid through the drain and out of the eye. This results in lower intraocular pressure (IOP) in anywhere from 1 to 3 months.
The laser is called “selective” because the heat energy is taken up only by selected pigment in the eye. Because of this it is quick and painless compared to older style lasers.
There is a slight risk of elevated IOP immediately after the laser. SLT usually lowers IOP by about 30%. The effect usually last from 1-5 years. If the effect wears off, the procedure can be repeated, which was not the case with older style lasers.
The laser is successful in 80 to 95% of patients depending on the type of glaucoma present.
All of our doctors use state of the art technology to diagnose, monitor and treat glaucoma.
