Glaucoma Surgery Pottsville, PA

Glaucoma can usually be controlled with medications, laser surgery, conventional surgery or a combination of these treatments. If you live or work in Pottsville, PA, or Schuylkill County, get in touch with Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania for an evaluation to detect early signs of damage to your optic nerve and prevent permanent vision loss.

Glaucoma Symptoms

Open-angle glaucoma: There are usually no warning signs or symptoms for this most common form of glaucoma. It progresses slowly, and you may not notice vision loss for many years. The only way to detect vision changes or damage to the optic nerve is to have regular eye exams.

Angle-closure glaucoma: This rarer form of glaucoma develops quickly. An acute attack may involve only one eye, but you will definitely notice the symptoms, and they may get worse over a few hours. They include:

• Sudden severe eye pain
• Headache or head pain
• Nausea or vomiting (along with the pain)
• Sudden loss of vision in one eye
• Sudden blurred or hazy vision
• Halos or rainbows around lights
• Redness of the eye

If you experience any of these symptoms, seek immediate medical attention at an emergency room. These symptoms do not necessarily mean that you have glaucoma, but they are signs of a potentially serious problem.

Schedule An Evaluation

Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania is the leading ophthalmology practice in Schuylkill, Berks, Lebanon, Lancaster and Montgomery counties.  We have an excellent track record of success in glaucoma treatment. Our highly qualified board-certified, fellowship-trained ophthalmologists –  Mehul H. Negarsheth, MD and Abhishek K. Nemani, MD  – have vast experience in current glaucoma treatments and surgeries as well as new advancements that show great promise.

Glaucoma Treatment

If your eye doctor determines that you have glaucoma, he or she may recommend prescription eye drops, laser surgery, or another type of conventional surgery.

Each patient’s circumstances are different – including age, ethnicity, lifestyle, disease progression and other health conditions. Your ophthalmologist will work with you to find the treatment that is right for you.

Laser Surgery: The first choice for treating open-angle glaucoma is typically medication or laser surgery. There are several types of laser surgery, but they are all similar. The laser beam is used to make small changes in the eye’s drainage system to allow fluid to flow more easily and reduce the intraocular pressure.  If the pressure is not adequately reduced or starts to rise again, your doctor may recommend conventional surgery.

Trabeculectomy: The most common conventional surgery is a trabeculectomy, sometimes called filtration surgery, which is used in both open-angle and closed-angle glaucoma. The surgeon creates a passage in the white part of the eye (the sclera) to give excess eye fluid a new place to drain.

There are other glaucoma surgeries, including drainage implant surgery, canaloplasty (a recent advancement in non-penetrating surgery), and the Trabectome (a new probe-like device that is inserted into the anterior chamber through the cornea). If you are a candidate for surgery, discuss the alternatives with your doctor.

The Glaucoma specialists at Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania will provide you with exceptional care and help you make informed decisions about surgery and other treatment options that can minimize the irreversible effects of glaucoma. We have five convenient locations in Pottsville, Pottstown, Wyomissing, Lebanon and Blandon.