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Glaucoma Management

Patient-Focused Glaucoma Treatment in Tucson

At Arizona Eye Consultants, we know that every patient has unique needs. Our ophthalmologists provide highly personalized, specialty eye care to our Tucson community. If you’re thinking about your glaucoma treatment options, you’ll love our patient-centered approach.

Understanding Glaucoma

Glaucoma isn’t actually a single condition. Rather, it’s a group of conditions, all of which involve damage to the optic nerve as a result of high pressure within the eye. In most cases, the intraocular pressure rises when there is extra internal fluid accumulation.

Although glaucoma can occur at any age, including in pediatric patients, it’s more common in adults over 60, and is a leading cause of blindness in this age group. Furthermore, glaucoma often has no warning signs, which underscores the importance of routine eye exams.

Vision loss due to glaucoma is irreversible, but it can be delayed or prevented with proper management. If you’re diagnosed with glaucoma, you’ll need to manage your condition for life. It’s very important to collaborate with your ophthalmologist and follow your glaucoma treatment plan in order to have the best possible outcome for your health.

Types and Symptoms of Glaucoma

In the U.S., the most common type of glaucoma is primary open-angle glaucoma. Some patients may be diagnosed with angle-closure or congenital glaucoma. Primary open-angle glaucoma occurs when the eye doesn’t drain fluid properly, causing a buildup of intraocular pressure. Often, this type of glaucoma doesn’t initially cause symptoms.

Angle-closure glaucoma occurs when the iris is too close to the drainage angle in the eye, causing the drainage angle to become blocked. This causes intraocular pressure to increase rapidly. It’s a medical emergency, and it’s important to come into our offices right away. We always have a doctor on call, 24/7/365 to handle medical emergencies.

Some of the possible signs of an angle-closure glaucoma attack include the following:
  • Sudden onset of blurry vision
  • Severe eye pain
  • Headache
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Rainbow-colored “halos” around light sources
Of course, symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and headaches by themselves are not necessarily indicative of a vision emergency. However, if you experience visual disturbances that may be accompanied by these symptoms, that is a cause for concern.

It’s also possible for angle-closure glaucoma to develop slowly. This is chronic angle-closure glaucoma. Like open-angle glaucoma, chronic angle-closure glaucoma doesn’t typically cause initial symptoms until it leads to severe damage or an attack.
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Our Diagnostic Process

At Arizona Eye Consultants, we provide much more than just basic glaucoma screenings, which only check your eye pressure. Our board-certified ophthalmologists will do a comprehensive eye exam, including the following:
  • Eye pressure measurement
  • Inspection of the drainage angle of your eyes
  • Examination of your optic nerve for signs of damage
  • Measurement of the optic nerve
  • Examination of your peripheral vision
  • Measurement of the thickness of the cornea

Your Glaucoma Treatment Options

Glaucoma is not curable, but it is manageable. The successful management of glaucoma and the delay or prevention of vision loss is highly dependent on patient compliance to the treatment plan. Our ophthalmologists will develop a glaucoma treatment plan that’s right for you, and we’ll work with you to help you adhere to it. Please be proactive about your treatment and talk to us if you’re having difficulties staying compliant with your care plan. We’ll see you frequently for follow-up visits to check your eye pressure.

One of your glaucoma treatment options is medication. You may be prescribed oral medications and/or prescription eye drops. Typically, we begin with eye drops, which can decrease the pressure within your eye. If the eye drops alone aren’t sufficient to lower the intraocular pressure, you may also be prescribed an oral medication. It’s important to carefully keep track of all prescribed medications, and to follow the dosage instructions precisely.

Some patients are good candidates for additional interventions. There are a number of different surgical procedures that can improve the internal fluid drainage of the eye, which will lower your eye pressure and help preserve your vision. If your ophthalmologist determines that surgery is a good option for you, we’ll ensure that you’re fully informed about the procedure and its benefits and possible risks before we move forward.

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