Glaucoma Treatment Fort Myers

Worldwide, more than 60 million people have glaucoma, and the number is expected to grow to 80 million by 2020. If you live or work in Fort Myers and want more information about glaucoma diagnosis or treatment, Elmquist Eye Group can help.

Dr. E. Trevor Elmquist, one of America’s Top Doctors in ophthalmology, his partner, Kate Wagner, OD, and his associate, Nina Burt, OD, provide complete eye care services. Dr. Elmquist is a skilled, board certified ophthalmologist, and Drs. Wagner and Burt are board certified optometrists. We are proud to offer state-of-the-art facilities and a wide variety of services, from routine eye exams for glasses to laser cataract and glaucoma surgery.

Although you are more likely to have or develop glaucoma if your eye pressures are high, many people with high eye pressures never develop the disease and some people with glaucoma have normal eye pressures.  The only way to know if you have glaucoma is through regular eye exams at Elmquist Eye Group.

How Is Glaucoma Detected? 

Getting a comprehensive dilated eye exam at Elmquist Eye Group is the most important thing you can do to detect glaucoma before it damages your vision. A glaucoma screening that checks only the pressure of the eye is not sufficient.

We will use drops to dilate the pupil of your eye to examine your optic nerve and other diagnostic tests to visualize and assess any damage to the optic nerve. We may also inspect the drainage structure of your eye, analyze the optic nerve by means of a scanning laser, take optic nerve photos, measure the corneal thickness, and test the visual fields of each eye.

The information from these tests is analyzed by the doctor to determine the diagnosis, severity, and course of treatment.

Glaucoma Treatment

Each person’s eyes are unique, and the treatment for glaucoma will depend upon the nature and severity of the disease. Although glaucoma cannot be cured, when detected and treated at an early stage, it can be controlled.

Eye drops, oral medications, laser surgery, and conventional surgeries are used to prevent damage to the optic nerve from occurring or slow its progress.

• Laser Surgery: Laser surgery can be effective in treating glaucoma. When treating open-angle glaucoma, the most common form of the disease, the laser surgery is called trabeculoplasty. It is used to improve the process of fluid drainage from the eye to control internal eye pressure. When treating closed-angle glaucoma, the rarer form of the disease, laser surgery called iridotomy is often used for people who have narrow drainage angles or have had closed-angle glaucoma in only one eye. 

• Conventional Surgery: If medications and laser treatment have not successfully lowered eye pressure, your ophthalmologist may recommend conventional surgery, the most common of which is called trabeculectomy. It involves creating a new bypass drainage channel so that fluid can drain from the eye and eye pressure can be reduced. This procedure is used in both open-angle and closed-angle glaucoma.

For most people, eye drops are the primary treatment.  However, surgery may be recommended to prevent further progression of optic nerve damage.

Glaucoma can occur and worsen without your being aware of it. For more information about glaucoma treatment in Fort Myers or to make an appointment for a comprehensive eye examination, get in touch with Elmquist Eye Group today at (239) 936-2020.