Glaucoma is a disease that damages your eye’s optic nerve. It usually happens when fluid builds up in the front part of your eye. That extra fluid increases the pressure in your eye, damaging the optic nerve. This is the most common type of glaucoma called Primary Open Angle Glaucoma. This type of glaucoma is painless and causes no vision changes at first so it is important to have regular eye exams and testing-especially if you are over 40 or someone in your family has glaucoma.
The only sure way to diagnose glaucoma is with a complete eye exam. A glaucoma screening that only checks eye pressure is not enough to find glaucoma. During a glaucoma exam, your eye will:
- Measure your eye pressure-called tonometry.
- Inspect your eye's drainage angle-called gonioscopy.
- Examine your optic nerve for damage with a special lens
- Test your peripheral (side) vision-called visual field testing.
- Take a computer measurement of your optic nerve-called OCT.
- Measure the thickness of your cornea-called pachymetry.
If you or someone you know has not had recent eye exam with glaucoma testing please schedule one at D’Ambrosio Eye Care at 800-325-3937, visit D’Ambrosio Eye Care, or Facebook 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, 865 Merriam Avenue, Suite 119, Leominster, Massachusetts 01453, 100 Powder Mill Road, Acton, Massachusetts 01720, 413 Main Street, Athol, Massachusetts 01331, 74 Main Street, Gardner, Massachusetts 01440 and 255 Park Avenue, Suite 606, Worcester, Massachusetts 01609.
