Glaucoma

At Wollongong Eye Specialists, we can offer our patients expertise, and the regular monitoring and the management of glaucoma.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you would like more information, seek a consultation, or would or would like to organise a referral to our care.

Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve which causes loss of peripheral nerve fibres most commonly due to raised intraocular pressure of your optic nerve.

Most commonly this visual loss is gradual, and starts in the peripheral vision, so is often not noticed by the patient until visual loss is severe and involving the central vision.

There are many potential underlying causes for glaucoma and a thorough examination and some additional tests are required to determine the cause in each case.

Underlying causes for glaucoma can be related to:

• abnormalities affecting only the eye
• some associated conditions
• use of some medications such as steroid medications
• prior trauma to the eye can also cause glaucoma
• Hereditary factors so it is important to have family members examined as well.

Glaucoma assessment

It is diagnosed by a multitude of tests including:

• Eye pressure check
• Examination of the optic nerve at the back of the eye
• Humphrey Visual Field examination
• OCT examination of the optic nerve

Types of treatment

The most appropriate treatment option for you may depend on the underlying cause of your glaucoma and severity of the disease.

All treatment options will be discussed with you at your initial consultation, and the option that provides the best treatment for your glaucoma, while taking into consideration your lifestyle and other medical problems, will be determined by you and your eye doctor.

Once glaucoma has been diagnosed, the condition needs to be managed for the rest of your life. Although treatment may lower the eye pressure, it is possible for it to increase again with time, and therefore you will need lifelong monitoring to prevent vision loss.

There are a variety of treatment options briefly discussed below.

• Medical therapy – consists of eye drops, and in some cases tablets that will likely need to be used daily, or in some cases twice per day, and therapy is usually ongoing for the rest of your life. For many patients, their glaucoma can be controlled with just one eye drop a day.
• Laser Therapy – There are a number of laser therapy options available as named below, and depending on the type of glaucoma you have your eye doctor may discuss these options with you in more detail.
  • Selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT)
  • Laser peripheral iridotomy (PI)
  • Cyclodiode
• Surgical Therapy – There are number of surgical options available for glaucoma. The best option for you will depend on many factors, including the type of glaucoma, severity and other medical problems.
  • Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS)
  • Minimally invasive bleb surgery
  • Trabeculectomy
  • Glaucoma Tube Surgery