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Glaucoma is an eye disease that puts an abnormally amount of pressure on the eye, causing damage to the optic nerve. Unfortunately, for many, glaucoma eventually leads to blindness, especially if detected too late. There are many questions that those who are recently diagnosed or have a loved one that suffers for glaucoma. Here are a few of these frequently asked questions.

Does glaucoma only affect the elderly?

No, there are many types of glaucoma. Even small children can have glaucoma.

What are the warning signs of glaucoma?

There are several early warning signs such as slight pain, blurry vision, and the appearance of halos. However, most people who are diagnosed with glaucoma experienced no symptoms at all until it was too late.

Is glaucoma permanent?

Once glaucoma is diagnosed it cannot be healed. If you catch it early you may be able to stop the damage. However, once the damage is done it cannot be reversed.

How is glaucoma treated?

If you are diagnosed with glaucoma your ophthalmologist will give you eye drops that will help to lower the pressure in your eyes. With less pressure against the optic nerve, damage can be limited but not reversed.

How can I prevent myself from getting glaucoma?

There are no medicines to stop you from getting glaucoma. The best remedy is to catch the disease before it causes too much damage. The best way to do that is to have frequent eye exams to detect the disease as early as possible.

How often should I get my eyes examined?

The standard for getting an eye exam is once a year. However, if you have a family history of glaucoma, as you age you should increase your eye exams to every six months. This is also true if you have diabetes. If you have diabetes you are particularly prone for glaucoma. By controlling your diabetes through proper diet and testing you can reduce your risk greatly. To learn more about glaucoma as well as cataracts and cataract surgery, LASIK eye surgery, PRK, and other eye care options, it is important to visit a laser vision correction office outside Seattle.

Lots of people have questions about cataract surgery, and hopefully we can clear them up. This procedure has been around for many years, but many people believe the procedure is the same as it was many years ago. There are many misconceptions about cataract surgery that should be cleared up. Cataract surgery has come a long way in recent years, and one of the most innovated techniques used in this procedure is the use of topical anesthesia, and the use of multi focal intraocular lenses. With the new topical anesthesia doctors no longer have to use painful injections. This allows patients to go home quickly. Although cataract surgery has been around for many years, there have been technical advancements that allow the procedure to be faster, safer, and achieve much better results. When cataract surgery first began, the doctor only removed the cloudy film from the eye but now intraocular lenses can also be introduced. These lenses are placed in front of the eye and replace the lens that is removed. The intraocular lens is placed behind the iris and thus eliminates the vibrations that other lenses had which in turn damaged the cornea. For many years these lenses have had several changes they have become smaller, flexible, so that they could be implanted with minute incisions. This puts to rest many of the misconceptions about cataract surgery, because it proves that the surgery is easy and quick. The problem that the medical field has been trying to remedy is as follows: even after the operation, people could see distant objects, but they still needed glasses to read. To get rid of the problem, multi focal intraocular lenses were created. These lenses give the user full vision, from near too far, without having to wear glasses. But probably the most significant change in cataract surgery has been the use of topical anesthesia. When cataract surgery first began, a patient had to be injected in the eye, which was, to say the least, very painful and risky. Now with the topical anesthesia cataract surgery can be done in as little as 15 minutes. It’s important that if you fear you might have cataracts, that you have it checked out by a doctor. Cataracts can be treated with better prescription glasses and medication, but the most effective treatment is cataract surgery, which is now almost painless and quick. Don’t be afraid to ask your doctor about cataract surgery. For more information about cataract surgery, glaucoma treatment, LASIK, and other eye care options, it is important to visit our laser vision correction office outside Seattle.