Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in part because it has no symptoms in early stages to alert the patient to the disease. Fortunately, early stage glaucoma can be detected with a simple, painless test. The ophthalmologist measures the patient's IOP level with a special device called a tonometer. Changes in the optic nerve are examined with an ophthalmoscope that enables the physician to look through the pupil to see the back of the eye. Treatment begins if there is noticeable damage to the optic nerve, or if the opthalmologist feels the patient's IOP is high enough to pose a threat to the optic nerve.
Glaucoma treatment can involve three stages.
The first step is drug therapy, which often is an effective way of lowering the IOP and thus controlling the disease. If this does not work, laser treatment may be tried to open channels for fluid to escape. Laser therapy is relatively painless and is usually performed in the physician's office in two sessions over the course of a month. Some patients may require additional laser treatments or a third form of treatment, filtration surgery. During this procedure, the physician surgically creates a valve in the wall of the eye using existing eye tissue, allowing the aqueous humor to drain.