Glaucoma
WHAT IS GLAUCOMA?
The Thief in the Night – Glaucoma is an eye disease caused by elevated internal pressure that gradually damages the optic nerve. It is famously known as the “Thief in the Night” because, in almost all cases, there are no symptoms until serious, permanent vision loss has occurred.
The 30-Year Silent Process – While the damage to the nerve often takes 20 to 30 years to reach a critical stage, you cannot feel the high pressure as it happens. Because the vision does not gradually blur, many people remain unaware of the condition for decades—only to wake up one day and suddenly notice significant vision loss that cannot be reversed.
An Ounce of Prevention – The good news is that glaucoma is highly treatable if caught early. A simple screening by our professional team is all it takes to detect high pressure. When identified in time, vision loss is usually prevented with simple eye drops or a fast, painless, and simple laser treatment
An Ounce of Prevention
Types of Glaucoma
Open Angle Glaucoma is common and tends to progress slowly and the patient may not notice that they have lost vision until the disease has progressed significantly.
Closed Angle Glaucoma is much less common and can appear suddenly and is often painful. The discomfort often leads patients to seek medical attention before permanent visual loss occurs.
A detailed look at Glaucoma
GLAUCOMA
LASER
THERAPY
Dr. Lipstock was the first surgeon in Virginia to utilize Glaucoma Laser Therapy as a primary mode of treatment for most of his patients with glaucoma. This 2 minute procedure performed in our office is painless, safe, and is a more convenient and less expensive alternative to glaucoma treatment with eyedrops.
The laser is used to treat the drainage system of the eye known as the trabecular meshwork and is designed to improve the outflow of fluid from the eye which lowers the pressure inside the eye.