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Ask the Expert: Linda Chous What Is Glaucoma? – UHC TV Here’s a great question. What is glaucoma? Glaucoma is when the pressure inside the eye is increased and causes damage to structures inside the eye. That’s the clinic description, right? But, what really does that mean? There’s a fluid that is produced inside the eye all day long, and it’s supposed to drain outside of the eye too—through the bloodstream. It’s not tears. It’s a different kind of fluid. For some reason, in people that have glaucoma, it can either not be draining properly out of the eye or they are producing too much of the fluid. When the eye doctor finds out that the pressure in the eye is too high, they will prescribe drops. Sometimes surgery is necessary. Sometimes oral medicines, but for the most part, the initial therapy will be to put drops in your eyes on a daily basis. That will lower the pressure by either increasing the amount of drainage that the eye is capable of or decreasing the amount of fluid. One of the things about glaucoma is that it doesn’t have any symptoms, so a lot of people don’t know they have glaucoma until they’ve started having serious damage to the eyes. Once you start noticing visual problems related to glaucoma, you’ve had glaucoma for a long time. It’s important to have regular, comprehensive eye exams that will include a check for glaucoma and to see if the pressure is high. They will also take a look at the optic nerve inside the eye because that is one of the structures damaged if the pressure is too high. They will also very often take a look at your side vision. Your side vision is the area that is affected the earliest, and that’s why it’s not noticed as much because we don’t notice changes in our side vision as we do seeing straight ahead. It’s important to have regular, comprehensive eye exams so you can have those glaucoma tests—especially when you are hitting over the age of fifty to fifty-five. It’s more common to have glaucoma show up at that time.

Ask the Expert

What Is Glaucoma?

Question: What is glaucoma?

Answer from: Dr. Linda Chous, O.D., eye care expert

Glaucoma is a serious eye condition with no early symptoms. A comprehensive eye exam includes a check for glaucoma.

vision, aging, Ask the Expert, Dr. Linda Chous, Healthy Eyes, Seeing Clearly

The content of these videos is for information only and is not intended to be medical advice. Refer to your health plan benefit guide for coverage details, and consult with your doctor to determine what is best for you.

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What Is Glaucoma?

Question: What is glaucoma?

Answer from: Dr. Linda Chous, O.D., eye care expert

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