Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a complex eye disease that requires surgery at advanced stages. People of all ages in Hong Kong and beyond are at risk of developing glaucoma where, eventually, irreversible damage to the optic nerve leads to permanent vision loss. One of the major eye diseases worldwide, glaucoma causes narrow vision, and in severe cases, it leads to blindness. In fact, glaucoma is the second leading cause of permanent vision loss.
For glaucoma cases caught early, eye drops or even laser treatment will be the most common types of treatment. In certain cases where these methods haven’t been effective, glaucoma surgery will be considered.
If it has been decided as the appropriate treatment for your case, our qualified ophthalmologists will undertake glaucoma surgery at one of our HK clinics. Glaucoma surgery is an effective option to prevent any further degradation of your vision but cannot be used to reverse any vision loss.
High-Risk Groups
Certain groups of people will be more likely to develop either chronic or acute glaucoma. Pay special attention to your eyes. If you fit in one or more of the following high-risk groups, consider getting an eye examination at least once a year to keep track of any changes in your eyes and catch glaucoma at an early stage before surgery is needed.
- High refractive errors(Myopia)
- Diabetes
- High intraocular pressure
- Suffering from cataracts
- Family inheritance
- Long-term use of steroid-containing eye drops
Categories and Symptoms
| Acute | Chronic |
| If you suffer from acute glaucoma, symptoms include sudden eyeball pain, headache, nausea, and a sharp decline in vision. | There are no obvious symptoms in the early stages of chronic glaucoma. Diagnosis and treatment may be delayed.
The patient’s vision will narrow subconsciously, and there will be symptoms of glaucoma such as blurred vision. |
Treatment
Glaucoma can be divided into four types, including chronic, acute, secondary and congenital. The earlier your ophthalmologists find out, the better the effect of treatment we can offer. In addition to medication for reducing intraocular pressure, eye drops are also commonly used to control glaucoma. When drugs cannot control glaucoma effectively, laser or surgery is needed.
Glaucoma surgery
If eye drops and laser treatment are not sufficient for a patient’s glaucoma, then surgery will be considered. There are several different types of glaucoma surgery including trabeculotomy, viscocanalostomy, deep sclerectomy, and trabecular stent bypass. The most common is trabeculectomy, whereby part of the eye drainage tubes is removed. This allows fluid to drain better and relieves the excess pressure in your eyes.
For further details about glaucoma surgery, please book a seminar or contact us for more information.
