An increase in fluid pressure can damage the optic nerve producing uncomfortable symptoms for glaucoma patients. Glaucoma Treatment can relieve the fluid pressure, restore your vision and prevent further vision loss.
When the optic nerve is damaged due to an increase in fluid, patients can experience a lot of pain. Glaucoma Treatment can reduce this pain.
If left untreated, glaucoma patients can experience tunnel vision or lose their sight completely. Glaucoma Treatment can prevent tunnel vision.
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When you come in to see our glaucoma specialist in Mechanicsville, our team will be ready to customize a treatment that fits your needs.
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First we perform a comprehensive eye examination including dilation, checking the eye pressure, and using advanced technology diagnostic testing to evaluate the health of the optic nerve and peripheral vision.
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A treatment plan is then developed specific to the individual patient which can include eye drop medications to lower eye pressure, in-office laser procedures to improve the eye pressure, and even surgery in the operating room, if necessary.
Use our interactive tool to discover personalized treatment options based on your unique needs.
Medically reviewed by
Dr. Alan Chandler MD
Patients diagnosed with glaucoma have an elevated fluid pressure in the eye that causes damage to the optic nerve. If left untreated, the eye’s peripheral vision gradually diminishes, resulting in a restricted field of vision. Patients with Glaucoma can experience tunnel vision, headaches, eye pain or pressure, nausea, vomiting, and red eyes.
An appointment with our glaucoma specialist in Mechanicsville takes between 30 and 90 minutes to complete, depending on the testing done that day. If there are any alterations in the treatment plan, we can do it then and schedule a follow-up.
First we need to determine your risk of vision loss from glaucoma and what treatment is needed. We will personalize the use of laser or eye medication treatment to reduce the risk of vision loss.
This means we use the laser to either enlarge the drainage holes in the eye or we can minimize the amount of tissue in the eye that produces fluid. Then, we will prescribe medicated eye drops. Our team may ask you to come in once or twice more for follow-ups to ensure that the treatment and the drops have worked as they should.
If we determine you do not have a high fluid pressure in your eye, then you are not at a high-risk for developing glaucoma. We request that you return once a year for retesting.
If changes are made in your treatment, a follow-up appointment is made to see if there is improvement in 4-6 weeks. Once the glaucoma risk is stabilized, there are regular follow-up appointments every 4-6 months.
If it is determined that you do not actually have glaucoma, but are at high risk for developing glaucoma, the diagnosis is “glaucoma suspect”. Usually there are follow-up visits every 6-12 months for this.
We treat for both open angle and closed angle glaucoma, but what’s the difference?
If you have open angle glaucoma, the fluid drainage channels are open but not working adequately. If you have closed angle glaucoma, the drainage channels are completely closed and the pressure can rise extremely high leading to risk of immediate vision loss. Closed angle glaucoma is considered an emergency due to the risk of irreversible immediate vision loss, and my require emergency surgery to treat.
Before coming in for open or closed angle treatments with our glaucoma specialist in Mechanicsville, we ask that you do the following:
After receiving glaucoma treatment at Chandler Eye Care Specialists, we ask that patients do the following for post-care:
After you have had the glaucoma laser treatment, we prescribe eye drops to you to help you with symptoms. The drops should take effect within a few hours.
You may not even notice that the drops are working because they decrease the pressure in the eye to prevent further damage to the optic nerve. The way you will notice if the drops are working is by the stabilizing of your vision.
If your vision does not get any worse, then the drops are doing their job. It is crucial for you to take the prescribed drops exactly as instructed on the prescription label for optimum results.
