Glaucoma is an eye disease in which the pressure inside your eyes increases enough to damage the nerve fibers in your optic nerve and cause vision loss. The increase in pressure happens when the passages that normally allow fluid in your eyes to drain become clogged or blocked. Glaucoma often is called the “silent thief of sight,” because most types typically cause no pain and produce no symptoms until noticeable vision loss occurs.
 
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in the U.S. Glaucoma can be a devastating disease if not diagnosed and treated.  It most often occurs in people over age 40. People with a family history of glaucoma, African Americans, and those who are very nearsighted or diabetic are at a higher risk of developing the disease.
 
A less common form of glaucoma is acute angle-closure glaucoma, symptoms can occur suddenly and can include blurry vision, halos around lights, intense eye pain, nausea and vomiting. If you have these symptoms, make sure you see an eye doctor or visit the emergency room immediately so steps can be taken to prevent permanent vision loss.
 
Normal-tension glaucoma (also termed normal-pressure glaucoma, low-tension glaucoma or low-pressure glaucoma) is an open-angle type of glaucoma that can cause visual field loss due to optic nerve damage. But in normal-tension glaucoma, the eye’s IOP remains in the normal range. The cause of normal-tension glaucoma is not known. But many doctors believe it is related to poor blood flow to the optic nerve. Normal-tension glaucoma is more common in those who are Japanese, are female and/or have a history of vascular disease.
 
Everyone should be concerned about glaucoma and its effects. It is important for each of us, from infants to senior citizens, to have our eyes checked regularly. Early detection and treatment of glaucoma is the only way to prevent vision impairment and blindness.

There are a few conditions related to this disease which tend to put some people at greater risk. This may apply to you if:
·         You are over 45 and have not had your eyes examined regularly
·         Someone in your family has a history of glaucoma
·         You have abnormally high intraocular pressure
·         You are of African descent
·         You have diabetes
·         You are highly myopic (nearsighted)
·         You have regular, long-term steroid/cortisone use
·         You have a previous eye injury
 
Glaucoma cannot be prevented but if diagnosed and treated early, it can be controlled. Generally glaucoma can be treated successful if diagnosed. Treatment can involve glaucoma surgery, lasers or medication, depending on the severity. Eye drops with medication aimed at lowering IOP usually are tried first to control glaucoma.
 
Despite the fact that glaucoma patients are being treated for their eye condition, LASIK or other laser vision correction options may still be an option for patients who are near-sighted, far-sighted or have astigmatism.
 
Many patients with glaucoma may have been told that due to the elevated pressure within their eyes, they were not considered a good candidate for LASIK.  If the glaucoma is under good control, LASIK can still be an option to a patient’s vision problems. 
 
Candidates must be thoroughly screened, undergoing a complete eye examination, including a retinal exam. During the examination, the LASIK surgeon will make observations and measurements to determine if LASIK is a possibility.  The surgeon may consider between the PRK and LASIK procedures, both are similar forms of laser vision correction. PRK generally causes less of a pressure increase during the surgery so is sometimes the favored method of laser vision correction.
 
If you are turned down for LASIK surgery because you have glaucoma, it might be advisable to visit a glaucoma specialist or another LASIK surgeon who has had experience with performing LASIK on glaucoma patients.

Many new moms come to us seeking vision correction shortly after giving
birth.  The common complaint amongst them is the hassle of fumbling around
for their glasses during those night time feedings.  Suffering from lack of
sleep and fatigue they quickly discover that wearing glasses is just another
issue they have to deal with, which can be easily corrected with the Lasik procedure.

Although Lasik is not an option for women who are pregnant or nursing
moms-to-be are able and encouraged to come in for their initial consultation.  
In doing so, doctors are able to monitor their initial eye condition 
and once the baby is born they are then able to check for any
changes.  By examining pregnant women for their baseline measurement, this
enables us to provide the most thorough care and offer optimal options when
it comes time for their Lasik correction procedure.  Since consultations are
complimentary, there is absolutely no obligation or upfront costs.

After giving birth, the rule is to wait three months postpartum and if
nursing three months from when a mother weans the baby to schedule their
procedure for Lasik.  Future pregnancies do not affect their Vision once it
is corrected.  Meaning no more fumbling around for glasses during those
middle of the night feedings!

This is a very good question about the LASIK procedure, and the answer depends on your best correctable visual acuity.
When you have a complimentary consultation at IQ Laser Vision, we will gather data about your eyes including: visual acuity, refraction, measurement of current glasses, biomicroscopy, infrared pupillometry (measurement of nighttime pupil size), pachymetry (measurement of corneal thickness), corneal topography (using two different systems to measure both anterior and posterior surfaces), and if applicable, wavefront analysis.
Based on these findings, Dr. Robert T Lin will select the best treatment for your eyes. He will take as much time as necessary to thoroughly understand your expectations and explain the risks and benefits of the procedure.

Some of our patients achieve better than 20/20 vision! That’s right, it is actually possible for some patients to actually achieve better than 20/20 vision!

Most patients achieve their full desired visual acuity. If the desired visual acuity is not achieved, an enhancement procedure is usually performed three months after the initial procedure.

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about the LASIK procedure. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at (626) 854-2020 or at DrLin@IQLaserVision.com.