5 Encouraging Facts About Glaucoma

There are a lot of frightening statistics surrounding glaucoma, but getting a diagnosis is actually the first step toward improving your situation. With monitoring and appropriate treatment, you can preserve your remaining eyesight. 

It’s important to find an ophthalmologist who makes you feel comfortable with regular checkups and also keeps you confident about the road ahead. 

At Ventura Eye Institute in Camarillo, California, our professional team of specialists can help identify glaucoma and provide treatment to preserve your sight.

What could possibly be encouraging about glaucoma? 

Glaucoma has a grim reputation among ophthalmologists; it’s one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness, and many people don’t realize they have it until they experience some level of vision loss. However, it’s not all doom and gloom. Here are five encouraging facts to know about glaucoma.

1. Glaucoma can be discovered in your annual eye exam

Your eye doctor can identify early stage glaucoma with a dilated eye exam — something you should be having done routinely as part of your annual eye health care regimen. When caught early, glaucoma progression can be slowed or stopped with appropriate treatment. 

2. Your prognosis is good with early detection 

When it comes to glaucoma, most people don’t realize they have it until they think it’s “too late,” meaning it is affecting their vision. However, it’s not really “too late” until you’re blind. Before that, you can preserve your remaining vision with eye drops, medication, and even minor laser surgery. 

3. There are things you can do to prevent glaucoma from worsening

Even once you have glaucoma, you can still work to help protect your eye health. For example, examine your exercise routine and cut out any that put your head below your heart, as this increases eye pressure and can make glaucoma worse. If you’re a yoga buff, skip Downward-Facing Dog in favor of Tree Pose.

4. Vision rehabilitation can help you enjoy a normal life

If you’ve already begun to suffer vision loss due to glaucoma, vision rehabilitation can help you learn how to adapt to your changed eyesight. You can learn how to work around the obstacles that may stand in the way of doing things you normally would on a daily basis. 

Vision rehab often includes the use of adaptive technology, such as text-to-speech tools, to help fill in gaps left by worsened vision. 

5. There’s a big budget for glaucoma research 

Millions of dollars have been invested in glaucoma research, improving how we diagnose and treat patients. While glaucoma is still a devastating disease, ophthalmologists are better equipped than ever. New treatment options emerge every year, including dissolvable pellets and microscopic stents to lower eye pressure. 

If you think you may have glaucoma or have already been diagnosed, we can help. Schedule an appointment by calling us at Ventura Eye Institute at 805-388-1211, or book online.