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My father had it but it only affected one eye. He normally refused routine eye exams as a money grab so it wasn't diagnosed until he noticed vision impairment and pain. At that point he expected someone to "cure" it but by the time he sought treatment his vision was permanently damaged. Went through several regimens including drainage implant surgery (experimental at the time). He lost all vision in the affected eye. It was so frustratingly sad to watch and unnecessary. Do I have my eyes checked for glaucoma? You BET!
My husband has it. He goes to the doctor every three months for a visual field test and to have the pressure measured. He has to use two different kinds of eye drops. Both of his eyes are affected, but he already only has functional vision in one eye, because of scarring from abuse when he was an infant. So the doctor is very concerned with keeping the good eye at the right pressure.
The doctor told my husband to make a couple of changes. No more sleeping on his stomach, and no pull ups or lifting heavy weights. We read that sleeping on a 30 degree wedge pillow was supposed to be the best position for eye pressure, and to avoid laying flat, so we bought a wedge pillow. He's also taking eye vitamins, not sure if they help anything, but they make him feel like he's doing something at least.
Do you wear glasses? There's what they call closed angle glaucoma that occurs with people who wear glasses. I was told it's a special kind of glaucoma and that it is something that is less well understood.
I ended up with it and I do take eye drop medication in the evening that keeps my eye pressure down. They also did laser treatments to be able to drain the eyes better. It helped open the angle more. That only partially worked.
"Angle-closure glaucoma, also called closed-angle glaucoma, occurs when the iris bulges forward to narrow or block the drainage angle formed by the cornea and iris. As a result, fluid can't circulate through the eye and pressure increases"
I see my doctor every 3 months and they check. My pressure is normal now with the. help of eye drops.
Do you wear glasses? There's what they call closed angle glaucoma that occurs with people who wear glasses. I was told it's a special kind of glaucoma and that it is something that is less well understood.
I ended up with it and I do take eye drop medication in the evening that keeps my eye pressure down. They also did laser treatments to be able to drain the eyes better. It helped open the angle more. That only partially worked.
"Angle-closure glaucoma, also called closed-angle glaucoma, occurs when the iris bulges forward to narrow or block the drainage angle formed by the cornea and iris. As a result, fluid can't circulate through the eye and pressure increases"
I see my doctor every 3 months and they check. My pressure is normal now with the. help of eye drops.
Yes...I do wear glasses. Thanks for sharing your experience.
UPDATE Went for the glaucoma test....and what a test it was. I have no glaucoma. I did learn a lesson though....stay away from Walmart optical. They are the ones who said I had glaucoma, and made the Dr appt for me, without even asking me if it was ok to do so.
Still happy I had the test, but from now on I will go to the eye Dr office.
UPDATE I did learn a lesson though....stay away from Walmart optical. They are the ones who said I had glaucoma, and made the Dr appt for me, without even asking me if it was ok to do so.
Wellll, that "Walmart optical" was probably an optician/optometrist. Optometrists are not physicians or MDs. Yes, they can and do perform general eye health checks (including for glaucoma) in addition to fitting prescription lenses.
So, a routine check suggested glaucoma. I know if anyone told me that I'd be quick to confirm with a second opinion by an ophthalmologist. The specialist would need to determine the stage of disease and most appropriate treatment plan anyway. So, the optometrist was concerned, conservative, and arranged that appointment for you. Who knows, they might have been able to provide a referral to a local ophthalmologist quicker than you initiating it for yourself. Don't know. I would much rather some optician err on the side of caution instead of the opposite. In the end, are you relieved or angry?
Last edited by Parnassia; 07-16-2022 at 02:49 PM..
Wellll, that "Walmart optical" was probably an optician/optometrist. Optometrists are not physicians or MDs. Yes, they can and do perform general eye health checks (including for glaucoma) in addition to fitting prescription lenses.
So, a routine check suggested glaucoma. I know if anyone told me that I'd be quick to confirm with a second opinion by an ophthalmologist. The specialist would need to determine the stage of disease and most appropriate treatment plan anyway. So, the optometrist was conservative and arranged that appointment for you. Who knows, they might have been able to provide a referral to a local ophthalmologist quicker than you initiating it for yourself. Don't know. I would much rather some optician err on the side of caution instead of the opposite. End result...are you happy or angry?
Both....happy I don`t have glaucoma.....angry, I was stressed out for nothing.
Wellll, that "Walmart optical" was probably an optician/optometrist. Optometrists are not physicians or MDs. Yes, they can and do perform general eye health checks (including for glaucoma) in addition to fitting prescription lenses.
So, a routine check suggested glaucoma. I know if anyone told me that I'd be quick to confirm with a second opinion by an ophthalmologist. The specialist would need to determine the stage of disease and most appropriate treatment plan anyway. So, the optometrist was concerned, conservative, and arranged that appointment for you. Who knows, they might have been able to provide a referral to a local ophthalmologist quicker than you initiating it for yourself. Don't know. I would much rather some optician err on the side of caution instead of the opposite. In the end, are you relieved or angry?
ophthalmologist = medical doctor specializing in ophthalmology
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Wellll, that "Walmart optical" was probably an optician/optometrist. Optometrists are not physicians or MDs. Yes, they can and do perform general eye health checks (including for glaucoma) in addition to fitting prescription lenses. 
