What Is the Most Common Glaucoma Treatment OKC?

Glaucoma causes progressive damage to your optic nerves; these nerves carry information from your retinal cells to your brain, making them essential to your eyesight. Because this disease can cause irreversible vision loss, you should stay on top of your eye health and seek out glaucoma treatment OKC as soon as it is necessary.

How Do Eye Doctors Treat Glaucoma?

Many eye doctors prescribe eye drops to help with glaucoma. In fact, this is the most common treatment for the disease. However, as with treatments for macular degeneration or diabetic eye surgery OKC, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for a glaucoma diagnosis.

Your treatment should be catered to your level of disease and ability to administer and tolerate medications. In addition to various topical eye medications, your eye doctor may determine that an incisional or laser surgical procedure is necessary.

Eye Surgery Oklahoma for Glaucoma

Durysta

If you have difficulties with eye drops, your eye doctor may recommend Durysta. This very small implant is placed in your eye, where it releases the eye pressure-maintaining medications bimatoprost over several months. The implant is biodegradable, so your body will naturally break it down once the medication is done being released.

MIGS

Microinvasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) is a group of eye surgery Oklahoma procedures that involve making small incisions to improve the natural outflow pathways of your eyes. MIGS treatments include:

Trabectome: a physician makes one incision before using the specially designed trabectome device to remove any debris blocking the flow of fluids in the eye.
ABiC: a catheter is placed in the drainage canal through a small incision; a viscoelastic substance is injected while the catheter is removed, which breaks down blockages.
GATT: a physician intubates the entire drainage canal with a catheter; as it is removed, it cuts through maldeveloped drainage tissue to create a more direct fluid outflow.
CyPass: this surgical device is implanted in the suprachoroidal space, which enhances the eye’s natural outflow pathway and then decreases intraocular pressure.
iStent: this small implant is strategically placed in the drainage tissue; the flow of ocular fluid is then bypassed around the diseased tissue to go to a healthier area.

Laser Treatment

If you have Open Angle Glaucoma, your eye doctor may determine that a laser treatment is your ideal solution. This will either be Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT) or Cyclophotocoagulation (CPC):

SLT: this advanced laser stimulates or changes specified pigmented cells to increase fluid drainage, thus reducing intraocular pressure.
CPC: for this outpatient procedure, laser technology alters the fluid-forming cells in the structure behind your iris so they produce less fluid.

Tube Shunts

For this procedure, your eye doctor will place a flexible plastic tube with a silicone drainage pouch in your eyes. This helps drain fluid, thus reducing pressure. Tube shunts may be your ideal glaucoma treatment OKC if:

You have scar tissues in your eyes or are more likely to develop scarring.
You have neovascular glaucoma; in this form of the disease, new blood vessels grow over your iris.
Your case of glaucoma is particularly severe, leading to concern that other surgical methods may fail.

Detecting Glaucoma to Prevent Damage

While medication and eye surgery Oklahoma can slow or prevent vision loss, there is no actual cure for glaucoma. Prompt treatment is an effective solution, especially when glaucoma is detected early. To find glaucoma before it causes irreparable damage, you should have routine eye exams and know whether you have any factors that can increase your likelihood of developing glaucoma. For example:

People over the age of 60 are six times more likely to develop glaucoma.
Family history can increase your risk of glaucoma four to nine times. Tell your eye doctor if any relatives have glaucoma, unexplained poor vision, or use eye drops to control high eye pressure.
Elevated internal eye pressure is the strongest risk factor for developing glaucoma.
People of African descent may be more likely to develop glaucoma at an earlier than average age. Because this is the leading cause of blindness among African-Americans, it is essential to stay vigilant.
Poorly-controlled diabetes, chronic steroid use, an eye injury, and previous surgeries may increase your risk of developing this.

While these are prominent risk factors, more could potentially affect you. As such, it is essential to discuss vision concerns with your eye doctor during regular check-ups. In your appointment, your eye doctor can help with more than glaucoma prevention; they can also let you know if and when you require dry eye treatments, diabetic eye surgery OKC, cataract treatments, and more.

Glaucoma Treatment OKC with BVA

The doctors and surgeons at BVA are dedicated to providing exceptional care to each patient. Please contact us if you are in the Oklahoma City area and need help detecting or treating glaucoma.