What You Should Know about Glaucoma: Provided by an Augusta, GA, Eye Doctor 

If you're searching for an "eye doctor near me," "optician in Augusta, GA" or "optician near me," we have you covered. Come see us at Morris Opticians and Hearing Aid Center, serving Augusta, GA, and the nearby region, if you have vision problems and need an eye doctor or require the services of an optician. We'd like to explain a little more about glaucoma and how we help.

General Information 

Glaucoma ranks as the second-leading cause of blindness in the world. 

During the aging process, your risk for developing glaucoma increases. Therefore, testing for this condition is recommended more as you age, so an eye doctor can catch it early and slow the progression as much as possible to prevent blindness. 

As a search result for "eye doctor near me," we'd like to stress that this condition affects the optic nerve in your eye, which is the part that transmits messages to the brain. Over time, though, this nerve can become damaged, oftentimes, due to elevated intraocular pressure. This particular issue is known as glaucoma.   

Your chances for developing glaucoma are also higher if you're a smoker or have sickle cell anemia, diabetes, or high blood pressure. 

Symptoms 

There are two main varieties of glaucoma: open-angle and acute angle-closure. The symptoms you experience will depend on the type you have. 

For instance, let's say you have open angle glaucoma. With this variety, you could develop patchy blind spots in either your central or peripheral vision. As your condition worsens, it leads to tunnel vision, meaning you lose your peripheral vision. In most cases, this form of glaucoma will affect both of your eyes. 

Acute angle-closure glaucoma, on the other hand, is a medical emergency and may cause you to see halos around lights. Your eyes may appear red whenever you look at them in the mirror. You could also experience blurry vision, eye pain, or severe headaches. Nausea and vomiting happen in some cases as well. 

Treatment 

The treatment you receive depends on the type of glaucoma you have. Glaucoma can be a progressive condition or one that's a medical emergency. Either way, if you have symptoms, our optician will refer you to an eye doctor who can help with this issue. 

At Morris Opticians and Hearing Aid Center, serving Augusta, GA, and the surrounding area, we're a search result for "optician near me," "optician in Augusta, GA," and "eye doctor near me." While we can't treat glaucoma, we can provide you with a routine exam and direct you to an eye doctor who can.  

Call us today at 706-751-4871.