Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can cause vision loss and blindness by damaging the nerve in the back of your eye called the optic nerve.
The symptoms can start so slowly that you may not notice them. The only way to find out if you have glaucoma is to get a comprehensive dilated eye exam.
There’s no cure for glaucoma, but early treatment can often stop the damage and protect your vision.
If glaucoma medicines and laser treatment haven’t helped to treat your glaucoma, your doctor may recommend surgery. Surgery can’t cure glaucoma or undo vision loss, but it can help protect your vision and stop it from getting worse.
Some of different types of surgery for glaucoma that can help lower the pressure in your eye:
- Trabeculectomy
- Glaucoma implant surgery
- Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS)
If you need glaucoma surgery in both eyes, your eye surgeon will only do surgery on one eye at a time.
Risk Factors
Anyone can get glaucoma, but some people are at higher risk. You’re at higher risk if you:
- Are over age 60
- Are African American or Hispanic/Latino and over age 40
- Have a family history of glaucoma
