Eye Specialist for Glaucoma Near Me
Glaucoma is a disease that affects the optic nerve. Currently, glaucoma affects more than three million Americans. The problem is that glaucoma exhibits no signs or symptoms. If you are over age 60 or have a family history of glaucoma, it is very important to have regular checkups. If you have thought about searching an “Eye Specialist for Glaucoma Near Me”, look no further than Elmquist Eye Group.
More about glaucoma
The most common form of glaucoma is open-angle glaucoma, which accounts for about 90 percent of all cases of glaucoma, affecting about 2.7 million Americans over the age of 40. Open-angle glaucoma has no symptoms. The disease does get progressively worse over time. Over time, a person loses more and more peripheral vision. If the glaucoma is not treated, a person can become totally blind.
Glaucoma involves sustained high pressure inside the eye (intraocular pressure). Over time, the internal pressure buildup leads to optic nerve damage. Because the function of the optic nerve is to transmit information from the eye to the brain, any damage that occurs can lead to vision loss.
Angle-closure glaucoma is a much more rare form of glaucoma caused by blockage of the fluid flow between the lens and the iris. With angle-closure glaucoma, symptoms are sudden-onset, and include severe eye pain, blurred vision and nausea and vomiting. If you have these symptoms, treat it as a medical emergency. Angle-closure glaucoma must be addressed quickly; left untreated, blindness can occur within one day.
Risk factors
Several risk factors are key with glaucoma. If you have a family history of glaucoma, you are at greater risk. People with thin corneas are also at higher risk. Certain characteristics of the optic nerve as well as higher eye pressures over time put you at risk. This is why frequent eye exams, at least every two years at a minimum, are so crucial. Ethnicity and genetics are also a factor. African Americans over age 40 and Hispanics over age 60 are at much higher risk. African Americans are four times more likely to have open-angle glaucoma, and Hispanics are at much higher risk of open-angle glaucoma after age 65. Age is a factor regardless of ethnicity, and people over age 60 are at higher risk of developing open-angle glaucoma.
Diagnosis and treatment
Glaucoma often has no symptoms. Many people who have glaucoma are not even aware they have the disease. Regular eye exams are the only way to detect, diagnose and prevent optic nerve damage. Elmquist Eye Group has board-certified physicians who use the latest diagnostic tests like visual acuity and visual field tests. If you are over age 60, we recommend an annual detailed dilated eye exam and high-resolution imaging of the optic nerve.
How do you fare within the risk categories we’ve outlined? If you fit any of these risks, do not hesitate to come see us. Your eyesight is too important not to. Search for “eye specialist for glaucoma near me” and you will see that Elmquist Eye Group is at the top of your search results. We are trusted eye care professionals. So many patients in southwest Florida have trusted us for over two decades for all eye care needs.
Regular eye exams are the best early detection for glaucoma. Give us a call today, and make an appointment at either one of our convenient locations, in Fort Myers or Cape Coral. We are ready for you to be our next new patient.