Glaucoma Treatment

Eyes Over Copley covers all of Boston, Cambridge, Charlestown, Brookline, Newton, and Arlington. As a full-service optometry office, we screen every patient for glaucoma. If you have been diagnosed with this disease or are at risk, our goal is to help you better understand glaucoma and to protect your vision.

diagram of healthy eye vs eye with glaucoma

What Is Glaucoma?

    • Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that cause optic nerve damage, mostly due to pressure build-up in the anterior chamber of the eye. 
    • Many types of glaucoma do not show symptoms until a person’s sight is affected. Any impairment to the eye caused by glaucoma is permanent, so early detection is imperative.
    • As the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 60, regular testing of eye pressure is vital to eye health.
    • There are two main categories of the condition: primary open-angle, the most common, and angle-closure glaucoma (also called “closed-angle” or “narrow-angle”).
    • The problem that leads to glaucoma is an incomplete drainage of fluid. In a healthy eye, intraocular fluid continuously drains through a drainage angle in the front of the eye. If that angle is clogged or blocked, the liquid builds up and causes increased pressure inside the eye. This can happen quickly or over time, depending on how much drainage is prevented. 

If you experience any of the following, see your optometrist immediately: sudden onset of blurry vision, extreme eye pain and headache, nausea, vomiting, and halos or rainbow colored rings that appear around lights.

Treatment

While there is no cure for glaucoma, but there are many ways to slow down the advancement of the disorder. Unfortunately, any loss of sight caused by glaucoma cannot be reversed. An ophthalmologist will create the appropriate course of action for your particular progression in order to minimize any sight lost. Here are a few of the treatments used to combat glaucoma:

    • Eye drops will be used to lower the pressure in the eye. 
    • Certain oral prescriptions may be given to lower eye pressure or to help with fluid drainage.
    • Laser trabeculoplasty uses a laser to burn spaces in the eye for better drainage. The eye is first numbed so pain is minimal, if there is any at all. The procedure can cause inflammation, so your eye care physician may send you home with an anti-inflammatory drug. 
    • Conventional surgery is performed after all other avenues of relief have been exhausted. The surgery will be done at a surgery center and consists of the removal of a small piece of tissue to provide more drainage area.

Eyes Over Copley, serving all of Boston, Cambridge, Charlestown, Brookline, Newton, and Arlington, can educate you and direct you to the best treatment for your glaucoma. Our doctor of optometry, Dr. Patricia Fox, is ready to help! Call us today to make an appointment for your eye care: (617) 859-0630.

Location

Monday

Closed

Tuesday

10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Wednesday

10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Thursday

10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Friday

10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Saturday

Closed

Sunday

Closed

Monday
Closed
Tuesday
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Wednesday
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Thursday
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Friday
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed