Advanced Glaucoma Treatment | Yavitz Eye Center
Glaucoma is a specific pattern of optic nerve damage and visual field loss caused by a number of different eye diseases which can affect the eye. Most, but not all of these diseases, are characterized by elevated intraocular pressure, which is not the disease itself, but the most important risk factor for the development of glaucoma.
The disease is called the `sneak thief of sight´ because it strikes without obvious symptoms. Therefore, the person with glaucoma is usually unaware of it until serious loss of vision has occurred. In fact, half of those suffering damage from glaucoma do not know it.
Our Experience
Yavitz Eye Center is proud to be one of the few centers in Illinois to use OCT Technology in the early detection of glaucoma. Find out more about this revolutionary detection technique.
Many risk factors predispose patients to glaucoma; they include: nearsightedness, and genetic inheritance from one's parents. While these factors cannot be controlled, the destructive effects of glaucoma can. Many patients with glaucoma can slow or stop the progressive loss of vision with proper medication and regular evaluation of peripheral vision. However, for a small minority surgical intervention in combination with medical treatment is the best alternative.
Argon Laser Trabeculoplasty Surgical glaucoma treatment can take several directions:
- Laser treatment to the "drainage holes" within the front of the eye (Argon Laser Trabeculoplasty, see illustration) can stretch the drainage holes open to allow more fluid to leave the eye via the circulation and lower the pressure.
- Alternatively, a surgical incision can be made from the outside of the eye to allow the fluid from inside the eye to percolate beneath the covering of the eye thus lowering the pressure. In the most difficult of cases, a micro-tube can be implanted into the eye which allows the fluid to drain from the eye in a controlled manner and thus lower the pressure.
- A relatively new procedure, the "Ex-PRESSTM mini glaucoma shunt" is a minimally invasive procedure that reduces "intraocular pressure" (IOP), the primary cause of glaucoma. This represents the first major surgical breakthrough in treating glaucoma in three decades. Read more about this exciting new breakthrough in glaucoma treatment.
The physicians at Yavitz Eye Center are experienced in both the medical and surgical treatment of all types of glaucoma and have helped thousands of patients retain good vision.