Glaucoma Treatment and Detection in Connecticut

For the best Glaucoma treatment and detection in Waterbury, CT., Prospect, CT., Southbury, CT., and Farmington, CT., visit the New Insight Family Eyecare team today. We have had great success with our comprehensive glaucoma detection and treatment services.

What is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a term that references several conditions that damage the optic nerve. This damage is caused by excess pressure in your eye and is the leading cause of blindness in people over 60.

There are four different types of Glaucoma. Learn about these differences below.

1. Open-Angle Glaucoma
This form of Glaucoma causes the drainage canals in your eye to become clogged, creating intense pressure in the eye, damaging the optic nerve, and causing vision loss.

2. Narrow-Angle Glaucoma
This rare form of Glaucoma is where the space between your cornea and iris isn’t wide enough for fluid to drain properly from your eye.

3. Secondary Glaucoma
This is when the pressure in the eye is caused by an injury, diabetes, certain prescription drugs, or cataracts.

4. Congenital Glaucoma
Also referred to as infantile or pediatric Glaucoma, it is typically diagnosed within the first few years of life and is incredibly rare.

What to Expect From a Glaucoma Test

When you visit New Insight Family Eyecare for a glaucoma exam, you can expect a few procedures from your eye doctor to help detect its presence.

● A Goldman Applanation will be used to measure the pressure in your inner eye.
● A gonioscopy may be conducted to measure the angle between the iris and cornea.
● Your doctor will use eye drops to dilate your eye. This allows your doctor to determine better if there is damage to the optic nerve. Once the eye drops are administered, you may have to wait 20-30 minutes for your pupil to dilate fully. This will make your eyes incredibly sensitive to light for the following two or three hours. Make sure you bring dark sunglasses to wear out of the appointment and that you get someone to drive you home.
● Your doctor will do a pachymetry test to measure the thickness of the cornea.

Due to the various tests, you will have to undergo, you can expect the appointment to last two or three hours.

Glaucoma Treatments

Depending on the type of Glaucoma you have been diagnosed with, there are several different treatment options that your eye doctor at New insight Family Eyecare may recommend.

1. Prescription Eye Drops
Eye drops are administered to drain fluid from the eye and decrease the pressure on the optic nerve.

2. Oral Medication
Meds could be prescribed in addition to or in place of eye drops to help with fluid drainage and pressure release.

3. Laser Therapy
The doctor will use a tiny laser beam to unclog drainage channels in your eye.

4. Filtering Surgery
Small tube shunts are inserted into the eye to allow for fluid drainage.

5. Drainage Tubes
Small tube shunts are inserted into the eye to allow for draining excess fluids.

6. Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS)
Your doctor may recommend many different MIGS techniques, but they are all intended to remove the excess pressure in your eye.