Best Glaucoma Doctors in Lebanon, PA

Glaucoma is called the “silent thief of sight” because there are no symptoms until the late stages of the disease, when significant optic nerve damage has occurred. Early detection and treatment are key, and the best glaucoma doctors are at Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania in Lebanon, PA.

Forms of the Disease

There are two forms of glaucoma: open-angle glaucoma and angle-closure glaucoma. Open-angle glaucoma is the most common; it affects around three million Americans and millions more worldwide. This form of glaucoma progresses very slowly and typically has no warning signs or symptoms, explaining why it is called the silent thief of sight. Most people can have open-angle glaucoma for several years before any symptoms or noticeable vision loss occur.

Over time, the eye’s natural drainage canals become clogged, and internal pressure builds and damages the optic nerve. An eye exam is the only way to detect optic nerve damage caused by fluid and pressure buildup.

When most patients notice significant vision loss, glaucoma is quite advanced. If you start experiencing vision loss, it will usually occur first in your peripheral or side vision, which is harder to notice. As glaucoma worsens, your visual sharpness (called visual acuity) does not change, so you can see why most people do not notice any symptoms. Unfortunately, we cannot reverse any vision loss that has already occurred.

The other form of glaucoma is called angle-closure glaucoma. It is a much rarer condition that develops rapidly and typically only affects one eye. This form of glaucoma has quite a few noticeable signs that appear quickly and worsen in just a few hours. Symptoms of angle-closure glaucoma include:

• Severe, sudden eye pain
• Blurred vision
• Halo or rainbow appearance around lights
• Sudden loss of vision in one eye
• Eye redness
• Severe headache
• Nausea and vomiting

You can certainly have single symptoms that indicate something else, but one or more of these symptoms with a sudden onset requires immediate medical treatment at your nearest emergency room.

Glaucoma Treatment

There is no remedy for vision loss that has already occurred, so early detection, diagnosis, and treatment are all crucial. Our glaucoma specialists in Reading can preserve your vision and help protect your eyes against severe vision loss.

For these reasons, our Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania physicians emphasize the importance of a regular eye exam. The comprehensive eye exams include several glaucoma detection tests designed to look for early signs of the disease. These exams are the only way our glaucoma specialists can detect the optic nerve damage that is characteristic of glaucoma.

Glaucoma can be treated using one of three standard treatments — medications, laser trabeculoplasty, or conventional surgery — all designed to reduce the intraocular pressure inside the eye. By lowering the internal eye pressure, further vision loss can be prevented. Left untreated, patients do eventually go blind.

We prescribe medications in either pill or eye drop form for early-stage glaucoma. Both medicines are designed to lower eye pressure. We also perform a surgical procedure called laser trabeculoplasty, an in-office procedure that involves draining fluid from the inner eye to lower intraocular pressure. This surgery is relatively risk-free and a good and effective treatment for glaucoma.

Our glaucoma specialists start with the above two methods, but if unsuccessful, we suggest the more traditional surgery. Furthermore, sometimes patients are not good candidates for the laser procedure, so we perform a more conventional surgery. The surgeons create a new opening whereby the eye fluid can continuously drain to lower internal pressure. This procedure can have a higher infection risk and cause cataracts or other cornea problems.

Come See Us

Come visit the best glaucoma doctors at Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania in Lebanon, PA, for a thorough eye exam so that our expert staff can ensure early diagnosis and treatment to minimize your vision loss. Give us a call today.