Glaucoma screenings are vital diagnostic examinations provided by your eye doctor that can determine if you have optic nerve damage or show other signs of glaucoma. These tests are fast and pain-free, and they help detect glaucoma at early stages before it impacts your vision.
Keep reading to learn more about how often you should be screened for glaucoma.
What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that can cause optic nerve damage. Many patients with optic nerve damage deal with vision loss.
While glaucoma has many underlying causes, it’s usually a result of fluid accumulation in the front of the eye. Excess fluid puts more pressure on the eye and can damage the optic nerve over time.
The pressure inside your eye is known as intraocular pressure. The most common type of glaucoma, open-angle glaucoma, occurs when fluid in the eye can’t drain correctly.
However, while the build-up of intraocular pressure is the most common cause of glaucoma, it’s possible to have normal eye pressure and still develop this condition. Generally, people will develop glaucoma in both eyes, but it may be worse in one eye at first.
If left untreated, glaucoma can cause permanent vision loss and even blindness.
What Types of Glaucoma Are There?
There are four types of glaucoma: open-angle, angle-closure, normal tension, and congenital.
Open-angle glaucoma is the most common form of the condition and occurs when pressure builds up in the eye’s drainage canals. Of the people with glaucoma, open-angle accounts for 90% of cases in the United States.
Angle-closure glaucoma occurs when the angle between the iris and cornea is too narrow. This blocks the drainage canals and causes rising eye pressure.
An acute angle-closure attack is when the angle between the iris and the cornea closes completely, causing intraocular pressure to rise suddenly. Symptoms like eye pain and headaches may occur swiftly and require medical care right away.
Normal-tension glaucoma refers to any optic nerve damage that occurs even with normal eye pressure. The causes of this type of glaucoma are still not entirely known.
Congenital glaucoma happens when babies are born with drainage canals that don’t develop normally, resulting in high intraocular pressure.
What Happens at a Glaucoma Screening?
A glaucoma screening is a series of eye exams that assess pressure in your eye and optic nerve. These tests are minimally invasive and painless.
Your ophthalmologist at Hayden Vision may conduct various tests during your glaucoma screening, including:
- An eye pressure test
- A visual field test
- Optic nerve imaging
- A dilated eye exam
- An eye angle exam
- Corneal thickness measurement
Once optic nerve damage from glaucoma occurs, it cannot be reversed. This is why it’s crucial to attend frequent glaucoma screenings with your eye doctor to detect signs of glaucoma early and receive proper treatment.
Am I at Risk for Glaucoma?
While anyone can develop glaucoma, certain factors can increase your risk of developing this condition. The most common risk factors for glaucoma include:
- Being of African or East Asian descent
- Having a family history of glaucoma
- Having diabetes or high blood pressure
- Being over the age of 40
- Having had an eye injury
- Taking corticosteroids
For patients with one or more of these risk factors, it’s even more important to receive regular screenings that can catch glaucoma early on.
How Often Should I Get a Glaucoma Screening?
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, patients with risk factors for glaucoma should have a comprehensive eye exam on this schedule:
- Ages 40-54: Every one to three years
- Ages 55-64: Every one to two years
- Ages 65 and up: Every six to 12 months
Glaucoma testing is often done during routine eye exams. During these exams, your ophthalmologist will also assess your eyes for other vision problems and eye conditions.
Is Glaucoma Treatable?
Once you’ve been diagnosed with glaucoma, your eye doctor at Hayden Vision may recommend different treatments depending on the severity of your condition, including:
Glaucoma Medications
The most common treatment for glaucoma is prescription eye drops that lower intraocular pressure. They work by reducing the amount of fluid your eye is producing, or by improving the flow of fluid draining out of your eye.
SLT
SLT, or selective laser trabeculoplasty, is a treatment that uses pulses of low-energy laser light to increase fluid flow through the trabecular meshwork of the eye.
This offers patients with glaucoma a less invasive option than surgery to lower intraocular pressure and can reduce reliance on prescription eye drops.
iStent
The iStent is a tiny device that is used to treat patients with mild-to-moderate open-angle glaucoma. It creates a permanent opening to improve the flow of fluid within the eye, reducing eye pressure.
Your eye doctor can implant it during cataract surgery, and it can help limit your dependence on topical glaucoma medications.
Trabeculectomy
If less invasive options like prescription eye drops and SLT are not effective at slowing or stopping glaucoma progression, your eye doctor may recommend trabeculectomy. It is a procedure that involves making a small channel from the inside to the outside of your eye to improve drainage.
Are you up to date on your glaucoma screenings? Schedule an appointment at Hayden Vision in Evansville, IN, today! Why wait to be proactive about the health of your eyes?