NSUOCO Encourages Eye Exams During Glaucoma Awareness Month

TAHLEQUAH The leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world, glaucoma affects over 3 million Americans.

January is Glaucoma Awareness Month and the Northeastern State University Oklahoma College of Optometry is encouraging everyone to get an eye exam to diagnose this and other eye related diseases.

Glaucoma is a complex set of diseases that affect the eye, defined by the characteristic loss of ganglion nerve cells causing damage to the optic nerve. The cause of glaucoma can be attributed to physical forces such as intraocular pressure, vascular disturbances, genetics, or any combination of the three.

Typically, there are no symptoms of glaucoma, and that is what makes it such a dangerous disease, said Dr. Jeffrey Miller, assistant professor of optometry at NSUOCO. With glaucoma, the fluid pressure inside the eye is high enough to slowly damage the eye, but not high enough for the patient to feel.

The only way to detect the pressure caused by glaucoma is by measuring it during an eye exam.

When we examine patients for glaucoma, we check in the intraocular pressure, drainage system of the eye, optic nerve appearance, and visual fields, said Dr. Nimesh Patel, assistant professor of optometry at NSUOCO and chief of optometry at Hastings Indian Medical Center. Some providers may also have scanning instruments that can examine the back of the eye and determine the thickness of the nerve fiber layers and structure of the optic nerve.

There are two main forms of glaucoma that affect adults, angle closure glaucoma and open angle glaucoma. Angle closure glaucoma, the less common form, occurs when the fluid drainage system in the eye is obstructed, usually by the iris, and there is a sudden spike in eye pressure. Individuals with this form of glaucoma will notice a sudden onset of severe pain and blurring of the vision, usually in dimly lit or dark areas. If caught in time, treatment can help prevent loss of vision.

Patients with open angle glaucoma, the more common form, usually have no visual symptoms until the disease is in the mid to late stages. Glaucoma affects the peripheral vision before it affects straight-ahead vision. It is not until a patient loses around 50 percent of the nerve cells inside the eye that they will notice a loss of vision.

Glaucoma is a silent disease, as there is no associated pain, and central vision loss is only noted later in the disease, said Patel. However, with improving technology and increased research, we are able to detect glaucoma at a much earlier state, and a much younger age.

Treatment for glaucoma usually begins with eye drops. Most of these drops are used once or twice a day and have very few side effects. If these treatments do work, laser surgery or other surgeries may be needed to reduce the pressure inside the eye.

Currently there is no cure for glaucoma. If the disease is diagnosed early, the treatments are much more effective, said Miller. By the time a patient notices vision loss with glaucoma, a large portion of the eye has already been damaged and this cannot be repaired and the vision cannot be restored. That is why annual eye exams are so important.

People age 40 or over are most at risk for developing glaucoma, especially if there is a family history of glaucoma or blindness. Although rare, glaucoma can also occur in children, and is usually noted soon after birth.

To schedule an eye exam, contact the NSU Oklahoma College of Optometry at 918-458-2109.

NSUOCO is Oklahomas only college of optometry and one of 17 in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.