Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Better Diagnosis & Treatment Reduce Glaucoma Blindness

About Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a condition where the eye does not drain fluid properly, resulting in high pressure in the eye that can damage the optic nerve. In the United States, 2.7 million people age 40 and older have the condition. If left untreated, glaucoma reduces peripheral vision and eventually may cause blindness.
 
Dr. Wu
There is good news for those with glaucoma or at risk of getting glaucoma. New advances in diagnosis and treatment are thought to lower the chance of vision loss, and in fact the risk of blindness from glaucoma has dropped by nearly half according to researchers from Mayo Clinic.
According to the Mayo Clinic study, the likelihood of losing sight in one eye was 28 percent for patients diagnosed with glaucoma between 1965 and1980. That number fell to 13.5 percent for patients diagnosed between 1981 and 2000.

At D’Ambrosio Eye Care our doctors and staff spend a great deal of time educating  patients about their risk of glaucoma and encouraging patients to have regular eye exams with glaucoma testing as this is the best way to detect glaucoma early and initiate treatment as quickly as possible. Our doctors use a combination of advanced technology for the earliest possible detection and diagnosis of glaucoma including Optical Coherence Technology (OCT) as well as high resolution digital photography for diagnostic purposes. This early diagnosis along with in office laser treatments for glaucoma has contributed to our ability to prevent vision loss and blindness from glaucoma. Despite these advances, 15 percent of those diagnosed with glaucoma still do go blind. We can’t over emphasize the importance of getting regular eye exams to detect glaucoma in the early stages so that we can prescribe vision preserving treatment as soon as possible.

If you or someone you know is concerned about glaucoma, has any risk factors for glaucoma or needs to schedule a glaucoma eye exam, please feel free to contact D’Ambrosio Eye Care by calling us at 800-325-3937, visiting D’Ambrosio Eye Care or facebook.com/dambrosioeyecare so that we can help.

D'Ambrosio Eye Care provides eye care for patients throughout greater Boston, central and western Massachusetts with office locations at 479 Old Union Turnpike, Lancaster, Massachusetts 01523, 100 Powder Mill Road, Acton, Massachusetts 01720, 413 Main Street, Athol, Massachusetts 01331 and 74 Main Street, Gardner, Massachusetts 01440.