Glaucoma Management

Glaucoma Treatments in Mesa

Glaucoma is a condition in which a person’s optic nerve has suffered damage due to fluid buildup in the eye. The fluid buildup leads to dangerous increases in pressure within the eye. If left untreated, glaucoma can potentially lead to permanent eye damage and even blindness.

Not every person with glaucoma will require surgery. There may be less invasive glaucoma treatments and management therapies, such as laser treatments or even prescription eye drops, that can help manage and treat your glaucoma.

How Common Is Glaucoma?

An estimated 200,000 cases of glaucoma are diagnosed in the United States every year, making it one of the most common eye diseases. Untreated or poorly managed glaucoma is also one of the leading causes of blindness. Unlike some reversable eye damage, damage to the optic nerve from glaucoma is permanent.

Some people with glaucoma don’t experience any obvious symptoms except a slow degradation of vision quality. This is particularly problematic since it’s easy to miss very gradual vision changes. The earlier you’re able to visit an optometrist the better your chances of successfully treating your glaucoma.

If you believe your vision is worsening, schedule a consultation with Lee Eyecare Center as soon as possible.

Causes of Glaucoma

The fluid (aqueous humor) in the human eye isn’t static. The internal fluid that builds up in your eye needs to drain at the proper angle through the trabecular meshwork. Fluid overproduction or problems with aqueous humor drainage can cause increased eye pressure and lead to optic nerve damage.

There are several subtypes of glaucoma. Some, like open-angle and angle-closure glaucoma, are specifically caused by problems with the trabecular meshwork drainage angle or narrow and blocked drainage. Others, like normal-tension glaucoma, aren’t directly related to eye pressure and are instead due to inadequate blood flow to the optic nerve.

Children, especially infants and young children, are also susceptible to glaucoma from aqueous humor drainage issues or other pre-existing conditions that impact eye blood flow or pressure.

Glaucoma Treatments

Early detection is key to effectively managing glaucoma. Although damage to the optic nerve is irreversible, the conditions contributing to that damage can be halted.

There are several prescription eyedrops that are specifically formulated to improve the fluid drainage in your eye, often by reducing overproduction of aqueous humor.

There are also a number of interventional therapies that can potentially repair problems that are preventing proper fluid drainage in the eye.

Laser trabeculoplasty can be used to correct open-angle glaucoma by essentially unclogging blocked trabecular meshwork channels. Filtering surgery can also be used to physically remove problematic portions of the trabecular meshwork.

There are also procedures wherein drainage shunts are carefully inserted into your eye to quickly drain fluid buildup and decrease eye pressure.

Many patients opt for minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) since they generally carry fewer risks and require less post-operative downtime.

See a Mesa Optometrist as Soon as Possible If You Notice Vision Changes



Vigilance is an important part of eyecare. If you notice any changes in your vision, like suddenly having trouble reading street signs or needing to sit closer to the TV or computer screen, it’s important to schedule an appointment with your optometrist as soon as possible.

At Lee Eyecare Center we always make time for patients who are concerned about changes in their vision and eye health. Call us at (480) 354-4030 and we’ll schedule an appointment as soon as possible.