Glaucoma

Dr. Zoran Aleksic performs Glaucoma treatment in Cape Town, South Africa.

Glaucoma treatment usually starts with medication and surgery is the last resort. Surgery reduces the pressure in the eyes by opening blocked drainage angles or creating a new opening that fluid can flow through to leave the eye. In some cases surgery may be done to relieve pain caused by glaucoma.

Learn more about Glaucoma below.

WHAT IS GLAUCOMA?

Glaucoma is a group of diseases that can lead to damage to the eye’s optic nerve and result in blindness.

Open-angle glaucoma, the most common form of glaucoma, affects about 3 million Americans (USA statistics); half of whom don’t know they have it. It has no symptoms at first, but over the years it can steal your sight.

With early treatment, you can often protect your eyes against serious vision loss and blindness.

WHAT IS THE OPTIC NERVE?

The optic nerve is a bundle of more than 1 million nerve fibres. It connects the retina, the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye, with the brain. A healthy optic nerve is necessary for good vision.

HOW DOES GLAUCOMA DAMAGE THE OPTIC NERVE?

In many people, increased pressure inside the eye causes glaucoma. In the front of the eye is a space called the anterior chamber. A clear fluid flows continuously in and out of this space and nourishes nearby tissues. The fluid leaves the anterior chamber at the angle where the cornea and iris meet (see diagram). When the fluid reaches the angle, it flows through a spongy meshwork, like a drain, and leaves the eye.

Open-angle glaucoma gets its name because the angle that allows fluid to drain out of the anterior chamber is open. However, for unknown reasons, the fluid passes too slowly through the meshwork drain. As the fluid builds up, the pressure inside the eye rises. Unless the pressure at the front of the eye is controlled, it can damage the optic nerve and cause vision loss.