In compliance with COVID-19 safety procedures, we are requiring face masks to be worn by all staff and patients at all times in our office. We will also be taking non-contact temporal temperatures on everyone entering the office. We have a disinfecting/sanitizing protocol done prior to your appointment to help keep you and our staff safe.

If you require emergency care or need a question answered right away, Dr. Jensen can be reached at 425.306.9898.

alarm-ringing ambulance angle2 archive arrow-down arrow-left arrow-right arrow-up at-sign baby baby2 bag binoculars book-open book2 bookmark2 bubble calendar-check calendar-empty camera2 cart chart-growth check chevron-down chevron-left chevron-right chevron-up circle-minus circle city clapboard-play clipboard-empty clipboard-text clock clock2 cloud-download cloud-windy cloud clubs cog cross crown cube youtube diamond4 diamonds drop-crossed drop2 earth ellipsis envelope-open envelope exclamation eye-dropper eye facebook file-empty fire flag2 flare foursquare gift glasses google graph hammer-wrench heart-pulse heart home instagram joystick lamp layers lifebuoy link linkedin list lock magic-wand map-marker map medal-empty menu microscope minus moon mustache-glasses paper-plane paperclip papers pen pencil pie-chart pinterest plus-circle plus power printer pushpin question rain reading receipt recycle reminder sad shield-check smartphone smile soccer spades speed-medium spotlights star-empty star-half star store sun-glasses sun tag telephone thumbs-down thumbs-up tree tumblr twitter tiktok wechat user users wheelchair write yelp youtube

All About Glaucoma

Our eyes are incredible, complicated organs. Many different components need to work together for us to be able to see.

This means that when one of those components breaks down, it can cause big problems for eyesight. A component you might not think of is the pressure of the fluid inside the eye. Glaucoma is an eye disease in which high intraocular pressure damages the optic nerve and leads to permanent vision loss.

The Balance of Fluid Inside the Eye

Our eyes are filled with a fluid called aqueous humor in the front chambers (in front of the lens) and a more gelatinous fluid in the larger chamber behind the lens. A healthy eye is able to keep the pressure of these fluids within healthy ranges, with about the same amount of fluid draining out through the pupil as is produced. Glaucoma interrupts this drainage cycle and causes pressure to rise dangerously.

Open-Angle and Angle-Closure Glaucoma

The main types of glaucoma are open-angle and angle-closure. Angle-closure glaucoma comes on quite suddenly when the iris physically blocks the drainage canals. It is usually heralded by multiple symptoms, including nausea, headaches, very blurred vision, rainbows around lights, and eye pain. If you experience symptoms like these, get straight to the eye doctor.

About 90 percent of glaucoma cases (about 2.7 million) are the open-angle variety. The way open-angle glaucoma happens is that the drainage canals in the eye get clogged, which prevents effective draining and leads to rising pressure. The process is extremely slow, so the patient might not detect the symptoms on their own until the disease has reached a late stage. This is one reason why regular comprehensive eye exams are so important. We can catch open-angle glaucoma early and begin treatment.

Glaucoma Risk Factors

We all have a certain level of risk of developing glaucoma, but some people are at a higher risk than others. People of Asian descent are at higher risk of developing angle-closure glaucoma. People over age 60, as well as African-Americans and Hispanics, are more at risk of developing open-angle glaucoma.

Heredity is one of the biggest risk factors. Studies have estimated that at least half of all glaucoma cases are familial. Specifically, someone with a sibling who’s been diagnosed is ten times more likely to develop glaucoma themselves. Eye injury and steroid use are also risk factors.

The Importance of Early Diagnosis

At this point in time, there is no cure for glaucoma and the vision loss that comes from it is irreversible. However, current treatments can halt the progress of the disease, especially if it is diagnosed early on. Protect your eyesight by learning about your risk factors and making sure you’re keeping up with your regular eye exam schedule.

Your healthy eyesight is our highest priority!

Top image by Flickr user Yann Cerri used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.
The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.