Glaucoma

As we get older, nerve cells at the back of the eye begin to deteriorate. Whilst this is a normal result of ageing, glaucoma causes these cells to fail at a faster rate. Indeed, in the most common form of the disease (chronic open angle glaucoma) cells are affected in patches, which means the back of the eye becomes less sensitive to light. This can be diagnosed by:

• Testing your field of vision
• Identifying changes to the appearance of the optic nerve

Patients with glaucoma will frequently have higher pressure than normal inside the eye. The treatment and management of glaucoma involves lowering pressure inside the eye and slowing down nerve loss. Mr Gerard Ainsworth will discuss the best course of action for you; depending on the type and severity of your glaucoma this typically would include any or all of the following:

• Eye drops
• Laser treatment
• Surgery

PLEASE NOTE:
As with any surgical procedure, it is important to understand there is a small inherent risk involved. These will be discussed fully with you and may include: haziness of the cornea, infection, under-correction and over-correction. In LASIK there are potential risks to the cut corneal flap including inflammation, infection and dislodgment of the flap.