Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness — accounting for approximately 12% of new cases of blindness each year in the United States. This condition affects about 3% of all Americans over the age of 65, and over half of those with glaucoma don’t know they have it. Glaucoma is an eye disease that develops gradually (usually over many years), causes no pain and presents only subtle symptoms that worsen over time. These symptoms include blurred vision, loss of peripheral, or side, vision and inability to adjust your eyes to darkened rooms.

 

 

Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve, which is the “cable” that carries the images we see from the eye to the brain. Glaucoma is the progressive loss of fibers in the optic nerve and is related to intraocular pressure. Although many people fear this potentially sight-damaging condition, early diagnosis and treatment can help maintain your vision for a lifetime. At the Paden Eye Care Center in Medford, OR, Dr. Philip Y. Paden uses today’s most advanced diagnostic exams to pinpoint glaucoma in its earliest stages.

 

 

 

If glaucoma is detected during your eye exam with Dr. Paden, he will recommend treatment based on your individual needs. Eyedrops may be used to control eye pressure. Laser surgery, also used to treat glaucoma, is performed on an outpatient basis by Dr. Paden. He was the first ophthalmologist in Oregon to offer selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT), a revolutionary outpatient procedure designed to treat patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG). The laser procedure can reduce or even eliminate the use of eyedrops in most patients. SLT was approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for glaucoma in 2001.

 

For patients with narrow-angle glaucoma, Dr. Paden performs laser iridotomy. This procedure creates a tiny “pathway” through the iris, which allows the iris to move away from the drainage channels. Without this new pathway, intraocular pressure can build rapidly and cause damage to the delicate optic nerve and/or permanent loss of vision.

 

 

 

Don’t trust yourself to notice early symptoms of glaucoma; chances are, you won’t. Only your eye doctor can through the use of state-of-the-art eye exams. With regular checkups and proper treatment, there is a good chance you can live with glaucoma without significant vision loss.  

To learn more about glaucoma please visit our Patient Education Library  or Call Paden Eye Care Center at (541) 776-9026 to schedule your appointment today. To request an  Appointment Online please click here.

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