Eye Surgery Procedures & Treatment

Talking to Your Eye Doctor About Glaucoma

When to Contact a Lasik Doctor or Other Medical Professional
Call your health care provider if you have severe eye pain or a sudden loss of vision, especially loss of peripheral vision.

Call for an appointment with your health care provider if you have risk factors for glaucoma and have not been screened for the condition.

Prevention of Open-Angle Glaucoma
As most eye doctors and lasik eye surgeons will tell you, there is no way to prevent open-angle glaucoma, but you can prevent vision loss from the condition. Early diagnosis and careful management are the keys to preventing vision loss.

Most people with open-angle glaucoma have no symptoms. Everyone over age 40 should have an eye examination at least once every 5 years, if not more, if they find themselves in a high-risk group. Those in high-risk groups include people with a family history of open-angle glaucoma, and people of African or Latino heritage. Studies are equivocal whether the presence of diabetes is a risk factor for glaucoma. Hypertension does NOT seem to be a risk factor.

Glaucoma & Laser Eye Surgery
People at high risk for acute glaucoma may opt to undergo laser iridotomy before having an attack. Patients who have had an acute episode in the past may have the procedure to prevent a recurrence and should consider having a preventative iridotomy in the fellow eye. Again, this is a very safe procedure.