Many people with glaucoma don’t realize they have it. The condition can damage your optic nerve for years without causing pain or obvious vision changes.
But Stephen Khachikian, MD, understands how important it is to know how glaucoma progresses, symptoms to watch out for, and the best strategies to treat it. At his practice in Rapid City, South Dakota, Dr. Khachikian can help you catch the condition early and offers treatment options that can slow or stop its progression.
Your eyes constantly produce a clear fluid called aqueous humor that drains through tiny channels. Glaucoma typically develops when those drainage channels become blocked or can’t keep up with fluid production. Pressure builds up inside your eye and damages the optic nerve fibers that transmit visual information to your brain.
Once those nerve fibers die, they don’t regenerate, and the vision loss is permanent.
Different forms of glaucoma develop through various mechanisms, though they all damage your optic nerve eventually. The most common types are:
This is the most prevalent type. Your eye’s drainage system gradually becomes less efficient over months or years. You typically don’t notice symptoms until you’ve already lost peripheral vision; by that point, considerable nerve damage has occurred.
The drainage angle between your iris and cornea either closes suddenly or narrows gradually over time. Acute angle-closure causes severe eye pain, headaches, nausea, and blurred vision that requires emergency treatment. Chronic angle-closure develops more slowly with fewer obvious symptoms.
Family history is one of the strongest predictors — your risk jumps 4-9 times if a parent or sibling has glaucoma. Age matters, too, with people over 60 facing higher risk, though certain populations may develop glaucoma at younger ages.
Other factors include:
African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians face higher risk for specific types of glaucoma compared to other populations.
Dr. Khachikian typically starts with the least invasive treatment and moves to more involved options if your eye pressure remains too high or your glaucoma continues progressing. Common glaucoma treatments include:
Prescription eye drops either reduce fluid production or improve drainage to reduce eye pressure. You need to use these drops daily, often for the rest of your life, and they can cause side effects like stinging, redness, or changes to your eyelashes and eyelid skin.
Dr. Khachikian uses focused laser energy to modify your eye’s drainage system, either opening up clogged channels or creating microscopic openings in the tissue. Most patients return to normal activities within a few days.
Surgical options involve making incisions to create new pathways for fluid drainage or implanting small tubes that permanently reroute fluid out of your eye. Recovery takes several weeks with frequent follow-up appointments to monitor healing and pressure levels.
Schedule a comprehensive eye exam if you have any risk factors for glaucoma, even if you’re not experiencing symptoms. Dr. Khachikian measures your eye pressure, examines your optic nerve, and tests your peripheral vision during these evaluations.
People over 40 with a family history of glaucoma should get checked every one to two years. If you’re over 60, annual exams help catch problems early regardless of family history.
Don’t wait for vision changes to schedule an appointment. Call Stephen Khachikian, MD, at 605-203-4256 today or schedule an appointment online for a comprehensive glaucoma evaluation.
