Eye Center

Eye Center

Glaucoma

Glaucoma

Glaucoma
Glaucoma is the second-leading cause of preventable blindness in the world today. Although it affects people of all ages, it is most common among individuals 65 years of age and older. Because most forms are symptomless until serious impairment, glaucoma is known as the “sneak thief of sight” and can progress undetected for years. With early diagnosis through appropriate medical eye exams, vision loss can be prevented.

The UC Davis Health System Eye Center’s Glaucoma Service is Northern California’s most comprehensive center for the diagnosis and treatment of all types of glaucoma. The faculty of the UC Davis Health System Eye Center’s Glaucoma Service are nationally and internationally recognized experts skilled in providing personalized, state-of-the-art care for their patients. Because glaucoma often occurs in patients with other eye diseases (e.g., retinal or corneal disease), the physicians at the UC Davis Health System Eye Center are uniquely positioned to provide state-of-the-art care coordinated among different sub-specialties.

A particular strength of the UC Davis Health System Eye Center faculty is in the management of babies and children with glaucoma. Glaucoma in babies is rare (fewer than one in 15,000 births) but the team at UC Davis has internationally-recognized expertise in this rare disease and is a founding member of the Childhood Glaucoma Research Network.

Full Range of Diagnostic Testing
To ensure the most thorough diagnosis and treatment for patients, the Glaucoma Service offers a comprehensive array of state-of-the-art diagnostic tests, including:

  • Imaging of the optic nerve (Digital Stereoscopic imaging, Optical Coherence Tomography – OCT)
  • Anterior Segment Imaging by OCT and Ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM)
  • New techniques of measuring intraocular pressure including Ocular Response Analysis (ORA), dynamic contour tonometry (DCT), rebound tonometry
  • Ultrasonic pachymetry
  • New techniques for measuring the visual field, including:
    • SITA, SITA-SWAP, GPA
    • FDT-Matrix
    • AccuMap objective perimetry

The UC Davis Health System Eye Center’s Diagnostic Imaging Center is among the nation’s leading testing centers for new instruments – many instruments used in your eye doctor’s office were developed, tested or validated at UC Davis. Click here for more information about our diagnostic imaging center.

The UC Davis Health System is considered one of the world’s most ‘connected’ hospitals; our electronic medical record (EMR) ranks among the nation’s most advanced EMR systems, so you can be assured that your records and testing will be available to your entire care team anywhere, 24/7.

Full Range of Treatment Options
Our faculty are skilled at the entire spectrum of medical, laser and surgical options for the treatment of glaucoma. They have been leaders in the early stage development of newer, micro-invasive treatments for glaucoma (e.g., the iStent™ device) and were among the principal investigators of the landmark Tube versus Trabeculectomy (TVT) Study, an international trial comparing two surgical approaches to the management of advanced glaucoma.

Clinical Trial Participation
The UC Davis Health System Glaucoma Service is actively involved in clinical trials exploring new medical treatments for glaucoma such as potential neuroprotective and pressure-lowering agents and new surgical devices and approaches for glaucoma treatments. Ongoing participation in key National clinical trials keeps the Eye Center’s glaucoma specialists at the forefront of the latest diagnostic and treatment options for their patients and they are among a select group of surgeons worldwide performing clinical trials of innovative, minimally invasive surgical techniques.

The Glaucoma Service played a leading role in the landmark Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS) that established the success of preventive measures for populations at risk of glaucoma. The OHTS identified risk factors for the development of glaucoma, and this landmark study recently demonstrated that optic nerve imaging can predict the development of glaucoma.

Click here to learn more about our currently enrolling clinical trials for Glaucoma.