Glaucoma evaluations in Long Island Tweet

Glaucoma is a serious eye condition that leads to progressive damage to the optic nerve of the eye. The optic nerve is responsible for taking all the visual information from the eye and transmitting it the brain, thus giving vision. Damage to the optic nerve from glaucoma can lead to permanent blindness. Glaucoma is referred to as the silent thief of sight, because there are often no symptoms. Glaucoma tends to cause loss of peripheral vision. Most patients don't realize they are losing vision from glaucoma until they have already lost a significant amount of vision. This is why it is so important for patients to have regular, dilated eye exams. This is especially important for patients over 40 years of age, and those with risk factors for glaucoma.  Several risk factors for glaucoma include a family history of glaucoma, increased age, high pressure in the eyes, history of blunt trauma to the eyes, history of severe eye infections or inflammatory conditions, pseudoexfoliation, and being of certain ethnic backgrounds. Patients can still get glaucoma even if they have no known risk factors, hence stressing the importance of regular eye exams.  The doctors at North Shore Eye Care are experts in evaluating the risk of developing glaucoma in their patients. They do this by measuring the pressure in the eye with a very precise machine that uses a blue light and gently touches the front of your eye(and you don't feel it).  The dilated eye exam allows them to look very closely at your optic nerve to identify if any damage has already occurred. If you look like you are at risk for glaucoma, they have special machines to test your peripheral vision and measure the health of your optic nerves. They can use these tests to follow you over time, in case you develop glaucoma later in life.