Glaucoma Specialist

Los Angeles Glaucoma Group

Ophthalmologists & Glaucoma Specialists located in Los Angeles, Culver City, CA & Torrance, CA

Approximately three million people in the United States have glaucoma, though only half are aware of the condition. Glaucoma is a progressive disease, and if left untreated it can lead to blindness, making early intervention critical. Daniel Krivoy, MD, and the team at Los Angeles Glaucoma Group, is a group of glaucoma specialists who offer the latest effective treatments to their patients in Los Angeles, California, in order to halt the progression of the disease. To gain the upper hand on your glaucoma, call 310-838-0202.

Glaucoma Q & A

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma isn’t a single disease, but a group of conditions that compromise your optic nerve. There are several types of glaucoma, including:

Open-angle glaucoma

This type of glaucoma is far and away the most common. With open-angle glaucoma, your trabecular mesh prevents the fluid in your eye from properly draining, which causes intraocular pressure, damaging your optic nerve.

Closed-angle glaucoma

A blockage characterizes this type of glaucoma in the drainage angle formed by your iris and cornea, because your iris is pushed forward.

Normal-tension glaucoma

This is a tricky version of the disease since there’s damage to your optic nerve, but not because of any intraocular pressure.

Congenital glaucoma

Some children are born with glaucoma, though this isn’t terribly common.

Pigmentary glaucoma

Pieces of pigment from your iris block drainage in your eye.

What causes glaucoma?

Glaucoma is typically caused by intraocular pressure, which damages your optic nerve. Your eyes rely on a nutrient-rich fluid called aqueous humor, which circulates through your eyes. When this fluid is unable to drain properly, whether through your trabecular mesh or through your drainage angle, the fluid builds up and creates pressure inside your eye. This pressure leads to damage to your optic nerve.

Researchers are unsure as to what causes glaucoma, but they have identified several risk factors, such as:

Age
Family history
Pre-existing medical conditions, such as diabetes and heart issues

While these risk factors are tied to glaucoma, the fact is that the disease can strike almost anyone at any age.

What are the symptoms of glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a progressive disease, so the frequency and severity of symptoms increase the longer the disease goes untreated. Open-angle glaucoma typically starts with blind spots in your peripheral vision and eventually leads to narrowed vision as the disease progresses.

With closed-angle glaucoma, the symptoms are far more debilitating and include:

Headache
Eye pain
Blurred vision
Nausea and vomiting

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, call us right away for treatment.

What are the treatments for glaucoma?

If you've been diagnosed with glaucoma, it's imperative that you choose a doctor who specializes in glaucoma. Numerous treatments can halt the progression of the disease, and a specialist is familiar with all of them and can offer you a solution that's right for your situation.

For example, our experienced providers turn to the latest minimally invasive techniques to relieve intraocular pressure including:

Stents: iStent®, XEN® Gel Stent
Laser surgery: laser cyclophotocoagulation, MicroPulse® Cyclo, selective laser trabeculoplasty

These state-of-the-art products and procedures offer a number of solutions that can prevent your glaucoma from inflicting irreversible damage on your eyes and your vision.

Don’t trust your eyesight to just anyone — see a glaucoma specialist. Call us or use the online booking tool to schedule an appointment.

We see patients for Glaucoma, Cataract Surgery, General Ophthalmology, and more. Call Los Angeles Glaucoma Group at our Torrance or Culver City, Ca Location today.