Glaucoma Specialist in Wernersville, PA

If you live or work in Wernersville, PA and need a glaucoma specialist, Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania offers a highly skilled team of board-certified and fellowship-trained physicians with vast experience in glaucoma and all methods of managing the disease, both medically and surgically.

Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania is the leading ophthalmology practice in Berks, Lancaster, Lebanon, Montgomery and Schuylkill counties. Our Reading office is closest to Wernersville, but we have several other convenient locations. Our exceptional ophthalmologists have helped thousands of people minimize the irreversible effects of glaucoma. Meet our doctors.

What is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a disease that leads to damage of the optic nerve, and is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. High-risk groups include people over age 60, family members of people with glaucoma, diabetics, and people who are severely nearsighted. If diagnosed and treated early, however, vision loss can be prevented.

There are several forms of glaucoma, including:

• Open-angle glaucoma (the most common form of the disease)
• Angle-closure/narrow angle glaucoma
• Normal tension glaucoma
• Pigmentary glaucoma
• Exfoliation syndrome
• Trauma-related glaucoma
• Childhood (or congenital) glaucoma

The optic nerve is the part of your eye responsible for transmitting images from the eye to the brain to help it make sense of the images. When you experience optic nerve damage from glaucoma, your eyesight can be severely diminished. Most of the time, the nerve damage comes from high pressure inside the eye; the high pressure is caused by a buildup of fluid.

The eye constantly produces a clear fluid (called aqueous humor) that circulates through drainage canals in the front of the eye near the iris and is necessary for the health of the eye.

When the drainage canal becomes blocked, the fluid is unable to escape from the eye as fast as it is produced, so pressure begins to increase on the optic nerve. This condition is known as glaucoma and if left untreated, it can create permanent vision loss.

Treatments for glaucoma include eye drops, medications, laser surgery, traditional surgery, or a combination of these methods. When medications do not achieve the desired results, or have intolerable side effects, your ophthalmologist may suggest surgery.

Do You Have Symptoms?

If you have any of the following symptoms, you may be showing signs of glaucoma:

• Gradual loss of peripheral (side) vision
• Sudden blurred or hazy vision
• Pain in or behind the eye ball
• Headache with nausea or vomiting
• Visual disturbances with halos or rainbows around light

Glaucoma affects about one in 200 people under age 50. In individuals over the age of 80, this number jumps to one in 10.

A dilated eye exam is the best and most effective way to detect glaucoma. Early detection and treatment can usually slow the progression of the disease.

Read more about this condition in our online center of excellence. If you are in need of a glaucoma specialist in the Wernersville, PA area, don’t hesitate to contact Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania for an evaluation with a glaucoma specialist today.