Houston Eye Doctors on Glaucoma Risk, Awareness & Treatment Advances

GALVESTON, TX, January 10, 2013 (Press-News.org) "Everyone is really at risk for glaucoma and thus should have regular eye exams with glaucoma screening," commented Ophthalmologist Dr. Da-Thuy Van of The Eye Clinic of Texas. "There is a direct relationship between your age and the likelihood of developing glaucoma so that chances of developing glaucoma increase considerably after the age of 40 and you are six times more likely to get glaucoma if you are over 60 years of age-even if you have no other family or medical history that is significant," Dr. Van explained. "Further your glaucoma risk is considerably greater if you have any family history of glaucoma-as much as 4-9 times greater than the average population. Your risk of glaucoma is further increased if you have any other systemic or eye disease that compromises your circulation such as diabetes."

"In addition, race plays a significant role in your risk of developing glaucoma. African-Americans a genetic predisposition that exposes them to a six to eight fold increased risk for glaucoma-in fact glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in African-Americans," noted Ophthalmologist Bernard Milstein, M.D. "Patients of Hispanic descent over the age of 60 seem to be at increased risk and we also find that Asians appear to have higher risk for developing a type of glaucoma called Narrow Angle Glaucoma," added Dr. Milstein.

"With early detection, diagnosis and treatment vision loss from glaucoma can be managed or prevented," stated Allan Fradkin, M.D. of The Eye Clinic Texas. "We have actually made significant advances in the treatment of glaucoma. Many newer generations of glaucoma eye drops have made medical treatment of glaucoma easier-but the use of laser treatments for glaucoma has grown tremendously-this has been quite important for patients," explained Dr. Fradkin. "We are very hopeful that the availability of tiny implantable stents for glaucoma will prove to be a safe and effective advance we can offer a broad range of glaucoma patients," commented Dr. Fradkin.

The Eye Clinic of Texas is a leading eye care practice serving the greater Houston, Galveston, League City and Texas City area that provides all aspects of general, medical, surgical, laser and optical eye care services. Our Board Certified Ophthalmologists perform Laser Eye Surgery such as LASIK, Cataract Surgery & Lens Implants using advanced technology IOLs to correct complex problems such as astigmatism and near vision focusing problems including presbyopia, diagnosis and management of glaucoma, diagnosis and management of diabetic retinopathy, diagnosis and management of Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Pediatric Ophthalmology. Texas EyeWear at The Eye Clinic of Texas provides personalized consultation and fitting of eyeglasses and eyeglass lenses for greater Houston, Galveston, League City and Texas City area patients.

To learn more about The Eye Clinic of Texas you may visit http://www.ecot.com or http://www.facebook.com/ecot.lasik or follow our eye care blog at http://www.ecot.com/houston-cataract-lasik-surgery-blog.

For additional information, contact:
Amy Trittel, The Eye Clinic of Texas, 2302 Avenue P, Galveston, Texas 77550, atrittel@ecot.com, 1-800-423-3937

SOURCE: Medical Management Services Group, L.L.C.
http://www.aboutcataractsurgery.com
http://www.seewithlasik.com