Maine Eye Doctors on Glaucoma Risk, Diagnosis and Treatment

PORTLAND, ME, January 10, 2013 (Press-News.org) "Far too many patients today simply avoid learning about their individual risk of developing glaucoma-which is unfortunate as early detection, diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma are the keys to preventing vision loss from this manageable eye disease," commented Glaucoma Specialist Samuel Solish, M.D. of Eyecare Medical Group in Portland.

"In reality, everyone is at risk for glaucoma but there are a number of factors that may increase the risk that we want to alert patients to. First, there is a direct correlation between your age and the likelihood of developing glaucoma so that your risk increases 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," noted Maine Glaucoma Specialist Robert Daly, M.D. "Further your glaucoma risk is considerably greater if you have any family history of glaucoma whatsoever-as much as 4-9 times greater than the average population. In addition, your risk of glaucoma is further increased if you have any other systemic or eye disease that compromises your circulation such as diabetes," said Dr. Daly. "Last, we know that race plays an important role in the risk of developing glaucoma. As a population, African-Americans have a genetic predisposition that exposes them to a 6-8 fold increased risk for glaucoma-in fact glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in African-Americans. 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. Daly.

"As glaucoma specialists we have made a great deal of progress in the treatment of glaucoma. We have better eye drops for medical treatment of glaucoma that have made things a great deal easier for patients. Along with improved effectiveness of lasers for glaucoma and the availability of tiny implantable stents for glaucoma we are able to provide a broad range of glaucoma treatments to help patents maintain their eye health and vision," commented Dr. Solish.

Eyecare Medical Group is a leading ophthalmology practice in Portland, Maine staffed by a team of eye care specialists including eye doctors who are fellowship trained glaucoma specialists, retina specialists, cornea specialists and cataract and lens implant specialists-all board certified Ophthalmologists-as well as Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants, (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, care for diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma.

To learn more about Eyecare Medical Group in Portland Maine you may visit http://www.eyecaremed.com or http://www.facebook.com/eyecaremedicalgroup or follow our eye care blog at http://eyecaremed-maine.blogspot.com.

For additional information, contact:
Kathy Brackett, Eyecare Medical Group, 53 Sewall Street, Portland, Maine 04102, kbrackett@eyecaremed.com, 1-888-374-2020

SOURCE: Medical Management Services Group, L.L.C.
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