Glaucoma is the name for several eye diseases that damage the optic nerve, a core part of your visual system. This damage is slow, painless, and can lead to vision loss if not managed.

Your optometrist is an important member of your healthcare team. They play a key role in protecting your eye health and vision and they can also diagnose and treat glaucoma.

Here at River Heights Eyecare, our team is equipped to recognize glaucoma early and offer a range of methods for managing the disease.

What Role Do Optometrists Play Against Glaucoma?

Optometrists are primary healthcare professionals who specialize in eye care and vision health. Their training involves completing a 4-year Doctor of Optometry degree, which includes education in diagnosing, managing, and treating eye diseases and disorders. Optometrists are licensed to perform eye exams, prescribe corrective lenses, and detect various eye abnormalities.

Optometrists are primary eye care providers and serve as the first line of defence against glaucoma. They conduct comprehensive eye exams, which include screening for signs of increased eye pressure (a significant risk factor) and other signs associated with glaucoma. In Alberta, they can prescribe therapeutic medications to manage the disease.

Types of Glaucoma

There are several types of glaucoma, each with its own causes and risk factors: 

• Open-angle glaucoma is the most common type. It occurs when the drainage angle of the eye becomes less efficient, leading to an increase in IOP. It develops slowly without noticeable symptoms, making routine eye exams essential for detecting it. 
• Angle-closure glaucoma occurs when the eye’s drainage angle becomes completely blocked, causing a sudden increase in IOP. It can develop slowly (chronic) or suddenly (acute).
• Normal-tension glaucoma damages the optic nerve even though IOP is within the normal range. Other factors, such as blood flow and genetics, may play a role in this glaucoma, making routine eye exams essential for detecting it.  
• Secondary glaucoma can also develop as a result of other eye conditions or diseases, such as trauma, inflammation, or cataracts. 

How Is Glaucoma Diagnosed?

A comprehensive eye exam is essential for diagnosing any type of glaucoma. It typically includes:

• Tonometry: This test measures the internal pressure of the eye. Elevated pressure is a significant risk factor for glaucoma.
• Ophthalmoscopy: This test examines the inside of the eye, including the optic nerve, retina, and blood vessels, for signs of damage.

Additional tests include: 

• Gonioscopy: This test examines the angle in the eye where the iris meets the cornea to determine whether it is open or closed, which is important in diagnosing angle-closure glaucoma.
• Optical coherence tomography (OCT): This is a sophisticated scanning system that creates a detailed image of the optic nerve and surrounding tissues.
• Perimetry: Also known as a visual field test, perimetry measures all areas of eyesight for blind spots. Peripheral vision is often affected by glaucoma first.

If these tests indicate the possibility of glaucoma, your optometrist may either manage your care themselves or refer you to an ophthalmologist. 

Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who specialize in the eye and can provide a higher level of intervention, including surgical treatments.

The Importance of Early Detection

Early detection and treatment are crucial for managing glaucoma. Optic nerve damage and vision loss caused by glaucoma can be reversed, but with proper intervention, we can slow or even stop its progression.

These routine visits are especially important for individuals at higher risk for the disease:

• Those with a family history of glaucoma 
• Anyone over 40 and especially over 60
• Have nearsightedness (myopia)
• High internal eye pressure

By starting treatment in the early stages of glaucoma, optometrists can manage the disease more effectively, maintaining the patient's quality of life and visual function. Treatment initiated after significant damage has occurred can only mitigate further loss but cannot reverse past damage. Early treatment is not just about preserving vision but also about minimizing the impact on overall well-being.

Protect Your Vision with Regular Eye Care

At River Heights Eyecare, our optometrists are highly trained in glaucoma detection and management. We can effectively manage glaucoma through medication and ongoing monitoring for many patients. In cases requiring specialized care, we can refer you to an ophthalmologist.Routine eye exams are a key component of preventive health care and can help protect you from vision loss caused by glaucoma. Book an appointment with our River Heights Eyecare team to learn more about glaucoma.

The post Can an Optometrist Diagnose Glaucoma? first appeared on River Heights Eye Care.

Clear vision is a treasured sense: a gateway to our world and an informer of experiences. It sounds dramatic, but we rely on our vision for so much, and it’s easy to take it for granted. However, 2 common eye conditions, cataracts and glaucoma, can cloud our vision if left undetected and untreated. While they can affect your vision similarly, they’re very different diseases.

The main difference between the pair is that cataracts are the natural clouding of the eye’s lens, while glaucoma involves damage to the optic nerve, typically due to increased eye pressure. However, one thing they have in common is your optometrist can detect both with a comprehensive eye exam.

What Are Cataracts?

Cataracts are a leading cause of vision loss in Canada. They cause the eye’s lens to become cloudy, which then causes light to scatter across the retina and results in blurry vision. The primary culprit behind cataracts is protein buildup in the lens, which happens naturally as we age.

However, other factors can cause cataracts to develop early or with greater severity, including:

• Genetics
• Eye injury
• Diabetes 
• Obesity
• UV exposure
• Smoking
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• High blood pressure
• Glaucoma or retinal eye surgery
• Medications, such as steroids

Think of cataracts as a slow progression, gradually dimming your perception like an aging photograph.

Cataract Symptoms

The symptoms of cataracts may vary considerably, but common signs include:

• Blurred vision
• Sensitivity to light
• Seeing halos around lights
• Colours appearing faded

Cataract symptoms can progress, affecting night vision and leading to significant vision complications if left untreated.

Treatments for Cataracts

The good news about cataracts is they're treatable. Diagnosis typically begins with a comprehensive eye exam that may include dilating your pupils to allow your eye doctor to examine the lens for any signs of cataracts.

Optometrists can address early symptoms with prescription eyeglasses. Once cataracts start severely affecting your vision, you may require surgery to remove the cloudy lens and replace it with an artificial one.

What Is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma, on the other hand, isn’t a single condition but a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve, often due to elevated pressure in the eye. Glaucoma is challenging because it can sneak up on you without warning, silently eradicating your peripheral vision. Symptoms might not manifest until the disease has progressed and damage is done. 

There are several types of glaucoma, but the most common varieties include:

• Open-angle glaucoma: In open-angle glaucoma, the eye structures appear normal, but the fluid does not flow out properly, causing a pressure buildup. This makes up about 90% of all glaucoma cases.
• Angle-closure glaucoma: Angle-closure glaucoma occurs when the iris is very close to the drainage angle in the eye and can block fluids from draining.
• Secondary glaucoma: Secondary glaucoma results from injury, surgery, infection, or other eye abnormality.
• Normal-tension glaucoma: While glaucoma is usually caused by increased pressure inside the eye, normal-tension glaucoma occurs when eye pressure is still in the “normal” range.

Risk Factors for Glaucoma

Since glaucoma can be so stealthy, knowing the risk factors helps determine if you need to be on the lookout. Risk factors for glaucoma include:

• Age
• Family history
• Cardiovascular conditions
• Eye-related health conditions
• Injury or eye surgery

There's no turning back the clock on vision loss—so early detection is paramount. Regular check-ups with an optometrist can make all the difference.

Glaucoma Diagnosis & Management

Like cataracts, diagnosis involves a full eye exam focusing on the optic nerve. Tonometry is a common test, using a puff of air or a gentle probe to test your eye pressure. If diagnosed, your doctor can try to manage glaucoma's progression through medication, laser treatment, or, if necessary, traditional surgery.

The key for most treatments is keeping eye pressure stable to avoid optic nerve damage.

The Differences Between Cataracts & Glaucoma

Cataracts and glaucoma are both conditions that can slowly rob you of your sight, but they have different mechanics and, therefore, treatments.

Cataracts are a natural part of aging, like hair turning grey. Environment and genetic factors can affect when they first appear, but treatment with cataract surgery is very common.

Glaucoma is typically associated with increased eye pressure and usually means there’s something wrong with your eye. Once the damage is done, it can’t be reversed. This means that much of the focus for glaucoma is on preventing vision loss or preserving what vision remains.

Proactive Prevention & Early Detection in Cochrane

Though both serious, cataracts and glaucoma are markedly different in their nature and impact on our vision. Understanding where these conditions diverge is the first step in taking control of your eye health.

Routine eye check-ups can often be the difference between suffering from a vision-related issue and proactively addressing it before it’s too late. Our River Heights Eye Care team can detect issues early on with annual comprehensive eye exams, allowing you to adopt strategies to potentially slow them down. If you're experiencing any changes in your vision or are at a higher risk for these conditions due to your age or medical history, book your eye exam today. Your eyes are with you for the long haul, so look out for them as they guide you through life's wonders!

The post Cataracts vs Glaucoma: What Are the Differences? first appeared on River Heights Eye Care.