Diagnosis

An eye care professional will review your medical history and do a comprehensive eye exam. Several tests may be done, including:

• Measuring intraocular pressure, also called tonometry.
• Testing for optic nerve damage with a dilated eye exam and imaging tests.
• Checking for areas of vision loss, also known as a visual field test.
• Measuring corneal thickness with an exam called pachymetry.
• Inspecting the drainage angle, also known as gonioscopy.

Treatment

The damage caused by glaucoma can’t be reversed. But treatment and regular checkups can help slow or prevent vision loss, especially if the disease is found in its early stages.

Treatment of glaucoma aims to lower intraocular pressure. Treatment options include prescription eye drops, oral medicines, laser treatment, surgery or a combination of approaches.

Surgery and other therapies

Other treatment options include laser therapy and surgery. The following techniques may help to drain fluid within the eye and lower eye pressure:

• Laser therapy. Laser trabeculoplasty (truh-BEK-u-low-plas-tee) is an option if eye drops can’t be tolerated. It also may be used if medicine hasn’t slowed the progression of the disease. An eye doctor also may recommend laser surgery before using eye drops. It’s done in the eye doctor’s office. An eye doctor uses a small laser to improve the drainage of the tissue located at the angle where the iris and cornea meet. It may take a few weeks before the full effect of this procedure becomes apparent.
• Filtering surgery. This is a surgical procedure called a trabeculectomy (truh-bek-u-LEK-tuh-me). The eye doctor creates an opening in the white of the eye, which also is known as the sclera. The surgery creates another space for fluid to leave the eye.
• Drainage tubes. In this procedure, the eye surgeon inserts a small tube in the eye to drain excess fluid to lower eye pressure.
• Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS). An eye doctor may suggest a MIGS procedure to lower eye pressure. This procedure generally require less immediate postoperative care and have less risk than trabeculectomy or using a drainage device. A MIGS procedure is often combined with cataract surgery. There are a number of MIGS techniques available.

After your procedure, you’ll need to see your eye doctor for follow-up exams. And you may eventually need to undergo additional procedures if your eye pressure begins to rise or other changes happen in your eye.

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness for people over 60 years old. But blindness from glaucoma can often be prevented with early treatment.