Preserving Your Vision From the Silent Thief of Sight
There are several types of eye diseases, and the risk of developing them changes depending on your age and health history. One disease you might hear about more than others is glaucoma, sometimes known as the “silent thief of sight.”
Glaucoma is one of America’s most common eye diseases, affecting almost 3 million people. However, there are numerous ways our team can help preserve your eye health in the face of glaucoma.
Dr. El-Hag is an optometric glaucoma specialist with extensive experience in the area, making her your trusted eye doctor when it comes to preserving your vision. At Sphinx Eye Care, we rely on specialized technology, including the Zeiss visual field test, and Zeiss OCT, which allow us to effectively diagnose and manage glaucoma progression.
All you have to do to get help is come in for an eye exam. Book your appointment today, and let our team help protect your vision.
What Is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma isn’t just one disease, but several—each with unique characteristics that can change its severity and development time. However, one characteristic they all share is that glaucoma affects your optic nerve.
Your optic nerve is responsible for transporting the information your retina receives to your brain, bringing you the sight you’re using right now to read this. In most cases, glaucoma doesn’t have immediate symptoms, and it can progress for years without your knowledge. By the time you notice symptoms, you may already have permanent vision loss.
The key to preserving your eyes from glaucoma is having regular eye exams. During your eye exam, we’ll use comprehensive technologies to search for glaucoma symptoms. From here, we can tailor a management plan to best suit your needs.
What Type of Glaucoma Do You Have?
Most types of glaucoma can occur when your intraocular pressure (IOP) rises over time, but some versions of glaucoma may not affect your IOP at all. To ensure we get a full picture of your eye health, we’ll examine your optic nerve and measure your IOP levels.
Sphinx Eye Care tests IOP with the iCare handheld tonometer and the Goldmann applanation tonometer. Both devices gently press a small probe against your eye surface, calculating the resistance to precisely measure your IOP levels.
We can also easily examine your optic nerve using retinal imaging technology. We use modern Zeiss Cirrus OCT and Optos ultra-widefield optomap imaging. Our Zeiss OCT (optical coherence tomography) uses light to create an image of the layers of your retina, including your optic nerve. An optomap image is a high-resolution photo of your retina. Both technologies give us a wealth of information about your glaucoma risk and the health of your eyes.
Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma
Primary open-angle glaucoma is the most common version of the disease, affecting 95% of glaucoma patients.
The disease develops when small blockages form in your eye’s natural drainage system, which prevents fluids in your eye from draining properly. Over time, your IOP can rise to unstable levels, damaging your optic nerve.
Open-angle glaucoma develops slowly, and most people won’t know they have it until an optometrist detects it or the disease damages their vision. Open-angle glaucoma can affect your peripheral vision first, but it could lead to complete blindness without treatment.
Acute Angle-Closure Glaucoma
Acute angle-closure glaucoma is a version of the disease that can develop abruptly and cause sudden vision loss.
Acute angle-closure glaucoma occurs when the drainage angle between your iris and lens is blocked completely. Your IOP levels can rapidly rise as a result, leading to numerous emergency symptoms like eye pain, nausea, blurriness, light sensitivity, glare, and halos.
If you risk developing glaucoma and experience sudden symptoms like the ones mentioned, please get in touch with our team immediately.
Normal-Tension Glaucoma
Normal-tension glaucoma is a unique version of the disease that can develop without affecting your IOP levels.
While optometrists aren’t sure how this disease develops, our team can still detect this issue by observing your optic nerve during an eye exam.
Managing the Disease
The type of treatment and management plan we recommend depends entirely on the version of glaucoma you have.
We may prescribe oral or eye drop medications to help manage your IOP levels. Some of these can include:
- Beta blockers
- Miotics
- Alpha adrenergic agonists
- Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors
For more severe glaucoma cases, you may need to have glaucoma surgery.
Learn how we can help manage your glaucoma by booking an eye exam with our team today.
Our Location
Our Address
- 8941 Coit Rd, Suite 200
- Plano, TX 75024
Contact Information
- Phone: 972-668-0011
- Fax: 972-668-0012
- Email: [email protected]
Hours of Operation
- Monday:9:00 AM – 5:30 PM
- Tuesday:9:00 AM – 5:30 PM
- Wednesday:9:00 AM – 5:30 PM
- Thursday:10:00 AM – 6:30 PM
- Friday:9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Saturday:By Appointment
- Sunday:Closed
Our Services
Our Brands
Testimonials
“My experience Dr. El Hag was fantastic! She was thorough in my exam and helping me manage my dry eyes. She explained everything so patiently. She and her staff were so responsive when ordering contacts and glasses and were able to help me get the best use from my insurance and a great deal! I refer all my family and friends to her”
Kareem H. – Dry Eye Related
“Great doctor and staff. They are very patient and helpful. They did an awesome job teaching my teenager how to use his contacts.”
Nese S. – Contacts/Glasses
“My experience at Sphinx Eye Care was excellent! Dr. El-hag is no doubt the best optometrist I’ve had! I’ve been wearing glasses all my life and I have always had trouble finding a good optometrist that would fully listen to my concerns. Dr. El-Hag, Kareem, and the entire staff provided excellent service, listened and addressed all of my questions and concerns. After my appointment, I left feeling heard and with my favorite pair of glasses that I’ve ever owned. The service and experience at sphinx eye care is unmatched. The only place for all your eye care needs. 10/10 recommend!”
Salma E.
“From the moment I walked in I was treated professionally and with great respect. The office staff are very polite and friendly. I felt like I was a long time patient and it was my first visit.
Dr El-Hag was great I had already been to an eye doctor prior to the visit with her and she was able to find where the other doctor had made mistakes with my prescription. Again Dr El-Hag and her staff made me feel like family.”
John K.
“The best eye doctor in town. Dr. El-Hag is extremely professional and very knowledgeable. She treated my chronically dry eyes and made sure to find the right lenses for me. The office staff is incredibly welcoming and professional as well. Everyone makes sure you get the best service possible from getting you ready to see the doctor to saying goodbye to you when it’s all done. I highly recommend Sphinx!”
Farrah A.
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Sphinx Eye Care
- 8941 Coit Rd, Suite 200
- Plano, TX 75024
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P: 972-668-0011
F: 972-668-0012
[email protected]