Posted by: Aker Kasten Eye Center in Glaucoma on February 14, 2015
Glaucoma is known to be the ‘silent thief of sight’ as it does not usually come with pain and the damage it causes to your vision is gradual. It is one eye disease you would never want to have, but you could be at risk.
Two percent of adults over the age of 40 have glaucoma. The early stages of the disease are asymptomatic, and most affected individuals are unaware that they have glaucoma.
Studies have shown that some people have a higher risk for glaucoma than others if they:
- Are over 40 years old
- Have a family history of glaucoma
- Of African-American descent
- Have hypertension
- Have diabetes
Permanent loss of vision due to glaucoma can be avoided by detecting the disease early on. Those who possess any of these risk factors should see their doctor for an eye exam every year.
How is glaucoma detected?
Our doctors at Aker Kasten Eye Center will perform a simple, painless test to measure intraocular pressure (IOP) as well as evaluate the optic nerve and retina. If the patient has an unusually high IOP or an abnormal optic nerve, a test that examines the visual field is usually scheduled to identify loss of peripheral vision.
Here at our Boca Raton eye care practice, our doctors use the Ocular Coherence Tomography (OCT) system to help detect the symptoms of glaucoma even before they become apparent. The system uses a combination of a laser-scanning camera and specialized software that will assess the optic nerve. This exam is painless and non-invasive and only takes a few minutes to perform.
Don’t let glaucoma steal your sight. Find out if you have the disease by visiting your doctor for an eye exam. Call us today at (561) 338-7722 to schedule a consultation with our eye experts at Aker Kasten Eye Center. We look forward to hearing from you!