Glaucoma Can Rob You of Sight Before You Know You Have It

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Glaucoma in Jacksonville FL is a serious eye condition that slowly robs people of their sight. Unfortunately, glaucoma can lead to blindness if left untreated. For many people, the most challenging part of living with glaucoma is that it typically causes no symptoms until the advanced stages.

The best way to know you have glaucoma even if you do not have symptoms is to schedule a comprehensive eye exam with Stam & Associates Eye Care at least once a year. Committing to an annual eye exam is easy to do when you consider that half of the more than two million Americans currently living with glaucoma do not know that they have it.

What Are the Risk Factors for Developing Glaucoma?

Aging works against you when it comes to glaucoma since the condition is most prevalent in people over age 40, and the risk increases the older you get. If you are of African American descent, you may develop silent symptoms as early as age 35. Below are several other symptoms associated with glaucoma that all people should know.

  • Diabetes
  • Family history of glaucoma
  • Near sightedness
  • Use of steroids over an extended period

If you are diabetic, keeping your blood sugar as low as possible can help to reduce your risk of glaucoma.

Diagnosing and Treating Glaucoma

Testing for glaucoma takes less than one minute and involves Dr. Bryan Stam or Dr. Gary Akel squeezing a ball that releases a puff of air to measures your ocular pressure. Treatment typically involves using prescription eye drops daily for the remainder of your life to prevent the buildup of fluid. Dr. Stam or Dr. Akel can also discuss alternative treatment options forglaucoma in Jacksonville FL when you come in for your next exam.

Glaucoma Treatment Options

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Receiving a diagnosis of glaucoma can be frightening, but it’s the first step in preventing further damage to your vision. In fact, the earlier your eye doctor in Jacksonville, FL, is able to diagnose a condition such as glaucoma, the more effective treatment may be.

Glaucoma describes a series of eye conditions that can damage the optic nerve. This nerve is the one that sends light signals to your brain, which then deciphers the signals as images. Without a properly functioning optic nerve, it becomes impossible to see. Usually, glaucoma happens because there is too much intraocular pressure. This means the pressure inside your eye is too high. To treat the condition, your eye doctor must lower that pressure to take stress off the optic nerve. There are several good treatment options for glaucoma.

Medicated Eye Drops

Your eye professional may prescribe special eye drops that work to lower the pressure in your eye. They can do this in one of two ways:

  • By limiting the amount of fluid your eye produces
  • By helping fluid drain from the eye more evenly

Medicated eye drops can’t restore vision you’ve lost, but they can help prevent further damage to your optic nerve.

Laser Eye Surgery

Laser eye surgery uses a laser to improve the drainage angle of the eye or to make a tiny hole in the iris to encourage drainage. Both may be instrumental in improving symptoms of glaucoma. Your vision specialist in Jacksonville may also have other treatment options available to you, depending upon the type and severity of your condition.

Glaucoma Treatment in Jacksonville, FL

For glaucoma treatment in Jacksonville, FL, contact Stam & Associates Eye Care on Baymeadows Road. The eye professionals at Stam & Associates Eye Care are friendly, knowledgeable, and highly skilled. And the earlier you seek treatment for the symptoms of glaucoma, the more we can do. Call today to schedule a comprehensive eye exam.

What Are the Signs of Glaucoma?

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Glaucoma is a serious condition that can cause blindness. In fact, there is no cure for glaucoma, so anyone who gets this disease must manage their symptoms carefully in order to avoid blindness. As your eye doctor in Jacksonville, FL, we can help. Below are some of the things you need to know about glaucoma.

Signs of Glaucoma

There are multiple types of glaucoma, and unfortunately, some types of glaucoma have no symptoms in the early stages.

If you do have symptoms, here’s what you may experience:

  • Eye pain
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Severe headache
  • Difficulty seeing things either in the peripheral vision or central vision, depending on the type of glaucoma
  • Blurry vision
  • Halos around lights
  • Red eyes

Take Care of Your Eyes

Because some types of glaucoma have no symptoms in their early stages, it’s important to see the eye doctor periodically. This is especially true if you are at risk for glaucoma for any reason. For example, if you have a history of glaucoma in your family or if you have diabetes, then you may be at increased risk. See your eye doctor for an examination.

Keep in mind that standard eye appointments do not detect glaucoma. Comprehensive eye exams that involve eye dilation can detect glaucoma. If you have not had an eye exam of this type recently, talk to your eye doctor to find out whether you need to make an appointment.

Eyesight that is damaged by glaucoma cannot be recovered, so don’t wait to get help.

The Professionals at Stam & Associates Eye Care Can Help

You can protect your eyes by getting an eye examination in Jacksonville, FL. Call your eye doctor at Stam & Associates Eye Care today to make an appointment.