Glaucoma Treatment at CritiCare Asia Hospitals, Juhu
Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve, the cable that carries what the eye sees to the brain. In most people, the damage is linked to raised pressure inside the eye, although some develop it even when their pressure reads normal. It is rarely loud at the start. Peripheral vision can shrink for years before anything feels wrong, and sight lost this way does not come back. Early detection therefore matters a great deal. Visit CritiCare Asia Hospitals for timely glaucoma treatment in Juhu, Mumbai.
How Glaucoma Affects the Eyes
The eye continuously produces a clear fluid called aqueous humour, which drains out through a fine mesh near the edge of the cornea. When drainage slows or is blocked, fluid accumulates, and the pressure inside the eye rises. Over months or years, that pressure wears down the optic nerve fibres, and they begin to die off.
Vision fades from the edges inwards. Central sight often stays sharp until late, which is why the loss is so easily missed. In normal-tension glaucoma, the nerve is damaged even though pressure remains within the usual range, suggesting other factors such as reduced blood flow or an unusually sensitive nerve. Consult our glaucoma eye specialists for regular eye tests.
Types of Glaucoma
Glaucoma is not one disease, and the type decides how fast it moves and how it is treated.
- Primary open-angle glaucoma
the most widespread form. The drainage angle looks open but drains poorly, and vision loss creeps in slowly and without pain. - Angle-closure glaucoma
the drainage angle narrows or shuts, sometimes abruptly, and pressure spikes. This one is an emergency. - Normal-tension glaucoma
optic nerve damage with pressure in the normal range. - Secondary glaucoma
follows another problem, such as an eye injury, inflammation, long-term steroid use, or diabetes-related changes in the eye. - Congenital glaucoma
present from birth or early infancy, because the drainage structures did not develop fully.
Symptoms of Glaucoma
The chronic forms are quiet, so symptoms depend heavily on the type. Open-angle glaucoma often causes none in its early stages, and when signs do appear, they tend to be these:
- Gradual loss of side vision, noticed as bumping into things or missing objects at the edge of view
- Narrowing, tunnel-like vision in advanced disease
- Glasses prescriptions that seem to need changing repeatedly
An acute angle-closure attack looks very different. Severe eye pain, a pounding headache, a red eye, blurred vision, halos around lights, and nausea or vomiting can all arrive together. These need attention the same day, not the next appointment.
Causes and Risk Factors
Anyone can develop glaucoma, but the odds rise with certain factors:
- Age above 40
- A parent or sibling with glaucoma
- Diabetes or high blood pressure
- Significant short-sightedness or long-sightedness
- Steroid use over a long period, in any form
- A past eye injury or eye surgery
- A thinner-than-average cornea
Having several of these is a good reason to book a baseline eye examination without waiting for symptoms.
How Is Glaucoma Diagnosed?
A glaucoma assessment is painless and is mostly a matter of measuring and mapping.
- Tonometry
measures the pressure inside the eye. - Ophthalmoscopy
a look at the optic nerve, usually after the pupil is dilated, for changes in its shape and colour. - Gonioscopy
views the drainage angle to tell open-angle from angle-closure disease. - Visual field testing
maps peripheral vision and picks up gaps the patient has not noticed. - OCT scan
measures the thickness of the nerve fibre layer. - Pachymetry
measures corneal thickness, which affects how pressure readings are interpreted.
No single test settles the diagnosis. The picture comes from combining several and repeating them over time to see whether anything is changing.
Treatment of Glaucoma
Treatment aims to lower eye pressure and protect the vision that remains. It cannot reverse damage already done. The choice depends on the type and stage, and it usually starts with the least invasive option.
- Eye drops
the first step for most patients. They either reduce fluid production or help it drain, and they must be used daily, often for life. - Laser treatment
improves drainage in open-angle glaucoma, or creates a tiny opening in the iris to relieve angle-closure risk. - Glaucoma Surgery
considered when drops and laser cannot hold pressure at a safe level. It creates a new drainage route or places a small drainage device.
Tablets or intravenous medication may be given briefly to bring down a sudden pressure spike. An angle-closure attack is treated as an emergency, with pressure lowered first and laser used afterwards to prevent a repeat.
How Do You Know Treatment Is Working?
Success in glaucoma is measured by stability, not by feeling better. Most patients notice no improvement, because treatment protects vision rather than restoring it. Pressure readings are compared against a target set for that individual, while repeat visual field tests and OCT scans show whether nerve damage is holding steady. How often these are needed depends on the stage and how well the pressure is controlled. Skipping follow-ups lets slow progression go unnoticed.
Glaucoma Treatment at CritiCare Asia Hospitals, Juhu
Care begins with working out which type a patient has and how far it has progressed, since those two answers shape everything that follows. The ophthalmology team examines the optic nerve, checks pressure and the drainage angle, and maps the visual field where needed, then sets a target pressure specific to that person. Medication comes first where it is likely to work. Laser or surgery is discussed only when drops alone are unlikely to protect vision, and the reasoning is explained before any decision is made. Because glaucoma is long-term, follow-up is planned from the outset rather than added later. If you are over 40, have a family history of glaucoma, or have noticed changes in your side vision, consult glaucoma specialists in Juhu, Mumbai at CritiCare Asia Hospitals.