January is Glaucoma Awareness Month
Protect Your Eyes with Our Plano and Celina Optometry Team
Our Team at Lone Star Vision Eye Care & Optical is Honoring Glaucoma Awareness Month
January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month, and at our eye care center, Lone Star Vision-with convenient locations in both Plano and Celina-wants to ensure that everyone is starting off the New Year with good vision health. If you are in Plano, Celina, Prosper, Frisco, or another nearby Texan community, then read on to learn more about glaucoma and how our optometry team can help you or a loved one with this common eye health disease.
Understanding Glaucoma: Causes And Symptoms
Did you know that glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the United States? This eye disease actually comes in many forms and can affect people differently depending on their age, family history, overall health status, and other factors. The two main types of glaucoma are known as open-angle glaucoma and angle-closure glaucoma. Both are associated with an increase in inner eye pressure in one or both eyes, which can cause vision loss by damaging the optic nerve (your optic nerve sends visual information from your eyes to your brain for processing).
- With open-angle glaucoma (the most common type), eye pressure increases due to a gradual clogging of specialized canals near the iris and cornea that normally help drain inner eye fluid. This type of glaucoma develops more slowly, and is thought to affect as many as 3 million Americans. Symptoms–which include blurry vision, especially in your peripheral view–develop very slowly and usually without any warning signs. Known as the “sneak thief of sight,” often the disease will have progressed significantly before someone even notices a problem.
- With angle-closure glaucoma, the drainage canals are blocked (typically by a closure in the space between the cornea and iris) resulting in a rapid increase in inner eye pressure. This leads to a sudden onset of symptoms, which may include blurry vision or sudden vision loss, the presence of rainbow-colored circles around bright lights, severe eye pain and head pain, and nausea or vomiting. Angle-closure glaucoma (also called narrow-angle or acute) demands immediate medical attention.
Other less common forms of the disease include congenital glaucoma, normal-tension glaucoma, and traumatic glaucoma. Getting the correct diagnosis by an eye doctor is important, since it will help determine the best type of treatment for you.
How Plano And Celina Eye Doctors Help People With Glaucoma
- Our optometrists provide comprehensive annual eye exams. Routine eye exams are the best way to help our optometrists diagnose a wide number of eye health diseases–and when it comes to glaucoma, the earlier the better. Vision loss caused by glaucoma is permanent, however early detection and treatment–which typically includes medicated eye drops–can significantly minimize symptoms and keep vision loss from getting worse.
- Our optometrists educate and empower you to make good choices for your eye health. Being aware of the different risk factors for glaucoma is an important step in protecting yourself and your family. Many of these factors are preventable, including diabetes and smoking. Our optometry team will work with you to help you develop a healthy life plan and vision strategy that can reduce your risk of getting the disease or help you manage your disease if you’ve already been diagnosed.
- Our optometrists connect you with the right eye care specialists who can provide safe surgical intervention. Depending on your unique needs and presentation, our team may recommend eye surgery to help prevent further damage to the optic nerve caused by your glaucoma. Surgical intervention focuses on draining fluid from the eye using a laser or a specialized scalpel.
Do You Need Help Seeing Clearly in the New Year? Call Today To Schedule an Eye Exam With Our Celina and Plano, TX Optometrists
It is possible to maintain good eye health throughout every stage of life, and our dedicated team of optometrists is here to help you maximize your vision at any age. If you live near Plano, Celina, Prosper, or Frisco, TX, and are looking for glaucoma treatment or screening, call Lone Star Vision Eye Care & Optical today at 972-378-4104 (for our Plano location) or 972-382-2020 (for our Celina location).