Glaucoma

Glaucoma services offered in Fairfax, VA

Glaucoma progressively damages your sight, but it’s controllable with early detection and treatment. At Fairfax Cataract and Retina in Fairfax, Virginia, Mehrine Shaikh, MD, and the team diagnose and treat glaucoma so you can manage the pressure in your eye and preserve your vision. Glaucoma doesn’t cause symptoms at first, so it’s important to have regular eye exams and quickly respond to any changes in your vision. Schedule an appointment by calling the office or requesting one online today.

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a disease that progressively damages your optic nerve. Your optic nerve is located in the back of your eye and plays a large role in helping you see. The optic nerve connects your eyes to your brain, carrying sensory information from your retina that your brain converts into images.

Glaucoma results from a gradual increase in eye pressure. Your eyes continually produce a fluid called aqueous humor, which performs a number of functions, including nourishing your corneas and lenses and maintaining eye pressure. Normally, aqueous humor flows freely in and out of your eyes, but if it can’t drain properly, it builds up, which damages the optic nerve.

What are the symptoms of glaucoma?

Glaucoma develops gradually and usually doesn’t cause symptoms in its early stages. By the time glaucoma is noticeable, it’s already caused permanent eye damage and vision loss. You can’t tell on your own if you have elevated eye pressure, so regular eye exams are extremely important.

Glaucoma is known as the silent thief of sight, and the best way to prevent glaucoma is to see a doctor regularly. At Fairfax Cataract and Retina, Dr. Shaikh can detect the earliest signs of glaucoma and test your eye pressure to predict your risk. The practice has the latest, most advanced visual field machines, which can diagnose glaucoma and measure vision loss.

At first, glaucoma damages your peripheral (side) vision. You may be able to adjust to and tolerate these changes to your sight because they’re so gradual. Your vision may seem just as sharp as it was before until the disease progresses to later stages.

Without treatment, glaucoma can cause partial or complete blindness. You can’t regain lost vision from glaucoma, but with early treatment, you can slow the progression of the disease and protect your sight.

How is glaucoma treated?

Though there’s no cure for glaucoma, treatment can reduce eye pressure and protect your vision. Note that treatment can’t restore lost vision, which is part of why it’s so important to get regular eye exams.

Dr. Shaikh may prescribe eye drops, oral medication, or both. Though they have different mechanisms, glaucoma medication reduces eye pressure by reducing the fluid production and/or improving the flow of fluid out of your eye.

If medication alone isn’t enough to reduce your eye pressure, Dr. Shaikh can perform surgery. Surgery options include trabeculoplasty, which opens up clogged channels in your eye, and tube shunts, implantable devices that give your eyes new drainage channels. Dr. Shaikh offers the latest in surgical approaches, including minimally invasive surgery.

To schedule an appointment at Fairfax Cataract and Retina, call or book an appointment online today.

Please see attached link

https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-is-glaucoma