Glaucoma is called the “Sneak Thief of Sight”

Glaucoma is the name given to a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve that links the retina to the brain. Often, glaucoma is associated with too much pressure inside the eyeball. It is a leading cause of damage to vision or blindness in people over 40 but can affect people of any age. If glaucoma is detected early, treatment can prevent or reduce vision loss in most patients.

Glaucoma Facts

• Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness world wide.
• One in 10 Australians over 80 will develop glaucoma.
• First degree relatives of glaucoma patients have an 8-fold increased risk of developing the disease.
• At present, 50% of people with glaucoma in Australia are undiagnosed.
• Australian health care cost of glaucoma in 2005 was $342 million.
• The total annual cost of glaucoma in 2005 was $1.9 billion.
• The total cost is expected to increase to $4.3 billion by 2025.
• The dynamic model of the economic impact of glaucoma enables cost-effectiveness comparison of various interventions to inform policy development.

We can treat Glaucoma in the following ways

• Eye drops

There are several types of eye drops for glaucoma but all of them reduce the pressure in your eye. Used regularly as prescribed, they help keep the pressure at the right level for you, which reduces the risk of loss of vision.

Read more about Eye Drops on Glaucoma Australia or get in touch to discuss your needs with one of our specialists.

• SLT – Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty

SLT Glaucoma treatment is an option for lowering the pressure in the eye to treat open angle glaucoma. SLT Glaucoma treatment uses short pulses of light to target melanin-containing cells in the trabecular meshwork (the tiny channelsin your eye which fluid flows through). The aim of the laser is to help fluid drain through these channels, lowering intraocular pressure.

Read more about SLT on Glaucoma Australia or get in touch to discuss this treatment with one of our specialists.

• Revolution in glaucoma treatment medical implant

Learn more about the world’s smallest medical implant known to be implanted in the human body, part of a revolution in glaucoma treatment as one of the early Micro-Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) devices approved for use in Australia.

Get in touch to discuss this treatment with one of our specialists.

• Surgery

There a range of surgical options to help treat Glaucoma. There are more details here, or get in touch to discuss your options with one of our specialists.