Glaucoma is a progressive wasting away of the optic nerve, usually associated with higher than normal eye pressure but not always. It becomes symptomatic only when far advanced. Un-diagnosed glaucoma poses a serious threat of vision loss or blindness. Once diagnosed, however, the condition generally responds favorably to treatment. Treatment usually means daily use of eye drops, but may also involve laser treatment or other surgery. See Glaucoma in Detail or Narrow Angle Glaucoma for more in-depth information.

Glaucoma Services at MarinEyes

At MarinEyes, our ophthalmologists have many years of experience diagnosing and treating glaucoma. Our optometry doctors also screen for glaucoma in the course of their complete exam process. We select from the most current proven equipment and methods to detect and treat this condition. We have developed for our Electronic Medical Record a system to maintain in graphic and table form a summary of data gathered at every visit so we can spot trends and monitor medication history and effectiveness. While the vast majority of our glaucoma patients do well with medical therapy alone, some patients will require surgery to preserve vision. We have performed hundreds of glaucoma laser surgeries and incisional glaucoma surgeries at our facilities. For those needing surgery, Marin Ophthalmic Surgery Center (across the hall from our medical suites) houses specialized lasers and a microsurgery suite where the doctors operate. The staff of the surgery center specializes in eye surgery.

How we discover Glaucoma

Routine Eye Examinations! Most cases of glaucoma are unsuspected! They are usually detected in the course of an eye examination for done for some other reason, such as “routine” exams, cataract evaluations, or even follow-up of a patient with macular degeneration (an unrelated condition). It is a fortunate discovery, because the worst cases of glaucoma are those that go undetected and untreated. This is one of the reasons we recommend a schedule of periodic eye exams even for individuals with presumably “healthy eyes.” Individuals having or suspected of having glaucoma undergo more in-depth evaluation.

See Glaucoma in Detail or Narrow Angle Glaucoma for more in-depth information.

MarinEyes Glaucoma Specialty Equipment

• Pressure measurement: Goldman applanation, MedTronic TonoPen.
• Pachymetry: DGH ultrasonic Pachymeter.
• Optic Nerve Analysis: Zeiss “OCT” scanner and analysis software.
• Visual Fields: Zeiss-Humphrey Perimeter with GPA progression analysis software.
• Electronic Medical Record: NextGen integrated EMR and EPM, using a structured data base.
• Lasers: Lumenis solid state photocoagulator, YAG laser, and SLT laser, and Coherent YAG Laser.
• Incisional Surgery: Marin Ophthalmic Surgery Center microsurgical suite is adjacent to our offices, eliminating the need to go to the hospital for glaucoma treatment. The staff specializes in eye surgery.