Elevated ocular pressure and glaucoma
Dr. Vandekerckhove and Dr. Mai.
What is glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a chronic eye condition that is the result of excessively high eye pressure, which damages the optical nerve. Increased eye pressure occurs if the fluid produced in the eye to nourish the cornea and the lens is not able to drain away properly. If the drainage of fluid doesn’t work properly, the pressure in your eye will increase. There is also ‘normal pressure’ glaucoma, which can also reduce your field of vision. That is why it is very important to have a regular check-up with your ophthalmologist and to have your eye pressure measured every few years after the age of 45.
![](https://www.eyecenter.be/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/07/glaucoma.jpeg)
Symptoms of glaucoma
Chronic glaucoma
- Your field of vision gradually reduces.
- At a more advanced stage, your visual acuity also decreases.
- Blind spots will emerge in your field of vision, often without you even realising it.
Acute glaucoma
- Your eyes become painful, red and dull.
- Your vision becomes blurred.
- You get headaches, dizziness and nausea.
![](https://www.eyecenter.be/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/07/symptoms-glaucoma-484x1024-1.jpeg)
Treatment of glaucoma
The treatment of glaucoma is aimed at keeping the eye pressure low permanently. Glaucoma is unfortunately incurable and damage that has already been caused cannot be repaired. That is why it is important for glaucoma to be diagnosed early, so that it can be treated appropriately. Regular check-ups are therefore important.
What treatments do we offer?
- SLT laser treatment
According to the European glaucoma guidelines, ‘Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty’ or SLT treatment is the first choice to treat glaucoma. With this laser treatment, short pulses are used to widen your tear drainage system, so that the fluid can be drained away better and your eye pressure decreases. This laser treatment is painless and usually has to be repeated after a couple of years.
- Eye drops
- Microstent
- Glaucoma operation (trabeculectomy)
In this procedure, carried out under local anaesthesia with drops, a small opening is made in the white part of the eye, so that fluid can drain away. This will reduce eye pressure considerably.