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Diagnosis, Screening and Tests for Glaucoma
The most common type of glaucoma, chronic glaucoma, usually affects people over the age of 40, when the trabecular meshwork (the filtering tissue at the margins of the eye) gradually becomes blocked and drainage slows down. The condition cannot be cured, but, in many cases, it is controlled by drug therapy. Laser treatment to the trabecular meshwork often improves drainage for a time; surgery to create an artificial channel for fluid to leave the eye offers more long-term relief. A tiny window may be cut in the iris during the same operation.The primary goal of glaucoma surgery is to reduce the amount of pressure in the eye and reduce or prevent loss of vision.There are different types of glaucoma procedures and different types of glaucoma. Glaucoma can affect people of all ages. The type of glaucoma surgery required will vary depending upon the type of glaucoma and also depending upon whether the patient is a child or an adult.
Most people choose bilateral treatment (both eyes treated together) for reasons of convenience. Some consider it safer to wait until the outcome of the first eye is known before treating the second.
If you are interested in LASIK vision correction but are nervous about undergoing a surgical treatment, read about the latest developments in LASIK technology. Advances in LASIK eye surgery now provide patients with the safest and most accurate form of treatment ever available. The development of the excimer laser made LASIK eye surgery possible. Excimer lasers are incredibly precise, only penetrating a microscopic amount of tissue at a time for remarkable accuracy. New-generation microkeratomes provide increased accuracy and safety for LASIK eye surgeons during the creation of the corneal flap. A microkeratome, or hand-held blade, allows the surgeon access to the cornea so irregularities can be corrected.