Smithtown and Riverhead Glaucoma Specialist, Dr. Sonya Dhar

In Smithtown and Riverhead Long Island, there is a glaucoma specialist, Dr. Sonya Dhar, that has joined North Shore Eye Care, the leader in specialized eye care including cataract surgery and laser vision correction.  Glaucoma is a common eye disease that slowly damages the optic nerve.  As the optic nerve becomes damaged from glaucoma, patients slowly lose peripheral vision.  The most common type of glaucoma, open angle glaucoma is treated by Dr. Dhar at North Shore Eye Care.  With open angle glaucoma, there can be high pressure in the eye or normal pressure in the eye.  On careful examination, an ophthalmologist or optometrist determines and health of the optic nerve of the eye.  When the center of the optic nerve begins to enlarge or simply appears large, this is called cupping.  Some patients are born with large optic nerve cups, so it is essential to fully evaluate the eye with the latest technology including automated visual field testing, OCT imaging of the optic nerve, gonioscopy, pachymetry, optic nerve photos, as well as thorough dilated retinal examination.  Open angle glaucoma in our Long Island New York patients is a significant cause of blindness and must be treated appropriately.

Treatment for Glaucoma

There are several treatments for glaucoma that are medical and surgical.  For many eye doctors and glaucoma specialists, eye drops are the first line in glaucoma treatment.  Whether the pressure is high or normal, if there is progressive damage to the optic nerve the intraocular pressure must be reduced.  Some of the eye drops for glaucoma reduce the production of aqueous fluid in the front of the eye and some increase the outflow of fluid.  The concept is quite simple.  The eye makes fluid internally and drains fluid internally.  Therefore, to lower the pressure, the faucet needs to be turned down or the drain needs to be unclogged.  Some of the excellent advancement in medical therapy has lead to eye drops that need only be used once or twice a day.  This make compliance far better.

Laser Treatment for Glaucoma

Laser treatment for glaucoma has been around for many years.  There have been several improvements with laser therapy and currently, our North Shore Eye Care glaucoma specialist uses SLT in open angle glaucoma.  SLT is a cold laser that can be repeated if necessary.   Essentially, the laser makes small spots in the internal drainage canal of the eye and this lets fluid flow out of the eye more effectively.  After SLT, most glaucoma patients realize a significant reduction in intraocular pressure similar to taking an eye drop.  The results vary and the amount of time that the lower intraocular pressure lasts is also variable. 

Surgery for glaucoma

Conventional surgery for glaucoma is effective in reducing intraocular pressure.  There is an operation called a trabeculectomy that creates a conduit from the front of the eye to an area under the covering of the eye called the conjunctiva.  In a skilled glaucoma specialists hands, this surgery can be extremely effective in managing glaucoma, but management of these patients can be involved.  We are pleased to have Dr. Sonya Dhar, a fellowship trained glaucoma specialist to aid our patients with glaucoma.