Glaucoma Diagnosis in Sedalia, MO

Glaucoma is a category of disorders that are known for impacting the eye's optic nerve, which is in charge of carrying visual messages from the eye to the brain. If not treated early on, glaucoma can lead to vision loss or even total blindness. Generally, glaucoma is caused by elevated intraocular pressure resulting from fluid build-up.

There are no symptoms with glaucoma, so we recommend scheduling comprehensive eye exams every other year so we can monitor your eye health. At Sedalia Eye Associates, our eye specialists use state-of-the-art techniques to diagnose, treat, and manage a range of glaucoma disorders. Contact our Sedalia or Warsaw, MO office to schedule your annual eye exam.

There are generally two factors that help us categorize what type of glaucoma you have — the condition of your trabecular meshwork and the degree of the angle between your iris and cornea. If we find that fluid is being retained due to an issue within the trabecular meshwork of your eye, this is called open-angle glaucoma. If the retention is due to the space between the cornea and iris being blocked or constricted, this is called closed-angle glaucoma. Some patients, however, experience secondary glaucoma as a result of a condition they already have. There are a few different tests we perform to determine if you have glaucoma. Some of these include:

• Tonometry: Measuring the pressure inside your eye
• Pachymetry: Assessing the thickness of your cornea
• Gonioscopy: Reviewing how wide the angle is between the iris and cornea
• Observing the condition of the optic nerve
• Testing the degree of your outer vision
• Looking for spots of blindness

After a glaucoma diagnosis has been made, we can suggest a treatment option. These treatments will all help manage the condition by reducing eye pressure. If you are in the early stages of glaucoma, we may recommend daily eye drops. If you have a complex diagnosis, however, we may suggest something like minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS), laser therapy, or something else.

At Sedalia Eye Associates, our team regularly helps patients with glaucoma. An early diagnosis can drastically reduce one's chances of vision loss, which is why we always aim to catch it as early as possible. Our team of ocular experts in Sedalia and Warsaw, MO encourage our patients to have routine eye exams every year to check their eye pressure and for other signs of glaucoma. For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact Sedalia Eye Associates.