The short answer: Berg-Feinfield Vision Correction’s glaucoma specialist is Dr. Lilit Minasyan, a board-certified ophthalmologist who completed a glaucoma fellowship at the UCLA Doheny Eye Institute and is an active member of the American Glaucoma Society. She leads glaucoma evaluations and treatment at our Burbank office at 2625 W. Alameda Ave., Suite 208, serving Glendale, Pasadena, North Hollywood, Toluca Lake, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, the rest of the San Fernando Valley, and Santa Clarita. Glaucoma cannot always be prevented, but blindness from glaucoma usually can: a baseline eye exam by age 40, regular pressure and optic nerve checks if you have risk factors, and early treatment with drops, laser, or surgery when needed.
Glaucoma is one of the few eye diseases where the most important visit is the one you make before you notice anything wrong. The most common form, open-angle glaucoma, causes no pain and no redness, and it takes peripheral vision first, so most people do not realize anything has changed until a large share of the optic nerve is already damaged. That is why it is often called the silent thief of sight, and why the conversation about glaucoma should really be a conversation about prevention.
This guide explains what preventive glaucoma care means in practice, who in Los Angeles should be screened and how often, what happens at a glaucoma evaluation, and how to see a fellowship-trained glaucoma specialist without crossing town.
What “preventive glaucoma care” actually means
It is worth being precise, because the phrase can be misleading. For most people there is no pill, diet, or exercise that reliably prevents glaucoma from developing. What can be prevented is the outcome everyone fears: losing vision to it. Glaucoma is a group of conditions that damage the optic nerve, the cable that carries visual information from the eye to the brain. Once nerve fibers are lost, they do not grow back, and vision lost to glaucoma cannot be restored. But when the disease is found early and eye pressure is brought down and kept down, progression can be slowed or halted.
So preventive glaucoma care has three parts:
- Finding it early. Regular, complete eye exams that look at the optic nerve itself, not just a quick pressure puff.
- Knowing your risk. Some risk factors you already know, like age and family history. Others, like a thin cornea, only show up on an exam.
- Treating before vision is lost. Lowering eye pressure with drops, laser, or surgery once glaucoma, or a high risk of it, is confirmed, and then monitoring for life.
There is one important exception where glaucoma really can be prevented outright, which we cover below: narrow drainage angles.
Who should be checked for glaucoma, and how often
Glaucoma can strike anyone, but the risk is not evenly spread. According to Berg-Feinfield’s glaucoma causes and risk factors guide, the main factors are:
- Age over 60, with risk climbing every decade after.
- A family history of glaucoma. If a parent or sibling has it, tell your eye doctor.
- African American heritage, especially over age 40, when glaucoma may develop earlier and more severely.
- High eye pressure, the most significant risk factor that can be treated.
- A thin cornea or optic nerve changes, both found only on an exam.
- Diabetes, severe nearsightedness, a prior eye injury or eye surgery, and long-term corticosteroid use, including steroid eye drops.
For adults with no symptoms and no risk factors, the American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends a baseline comprehensive eye exam at age 40, then exams every two to four years between 40 and 54, every one to three years between 55 and 64, and every one to two years from 65 on. If you have any of the risk factors above, your ophthalmologist will usually recommend checking sooner and more often. If it has simply been a while, a comprehensive eye exam is the right place to start.
What a glaucoma evaluation includes
A pressure reading alone cannot rule glaucoma in or out. Some people run high pressure for years without nerve damage, and others develop glaucoma at normal pressure, a form called normal-tension glaucoma. That is why a proper evaluation looks at the whole picture. At our Burbank office, it typically includes:
| Test | What it measures | Why it matters for prevention |
|---|---|---|
| Tonometry | Pressure inside the eye | High pressure is the main treatable risk factor; tracked over time rather than judged on one reading. |
| Pachymetry | Corneal thickness | A thin cornea is an independent risk factor and changes how accurate the pressure reading is. |
| Dilated exam | The optic nerve’s appearance | Shows the characteristic signs of glaucoma damage before vision changes. |
| Visual field test | Peripheral (side) vision | Maps the blind spots that appear early in open-angle glaucoma. |
| OCT imaging | The optic nerve fiber layer | High-resolution scans can spot thinning before it shows up on a visual field test. |
Testing is individualized. Your ophthalmologist decides which tests you need and how often to repeat them.
Narrow angles: the glaucoma you can often prevent outright
More than nine in ten cases of glaucoma are open-angle, where the eye’s drainage system is open but works less efficiently over time. The rest include angle-closure glaucoma, where the drainage angle becomes blocked. Angle closure can happen suddenly, causing eye pain, a severe headache, blurred vision, halos around lights, nausea, and redness. That is a medical emergency, and anyone with those symptoms should seek care immediately.
The preventive opportunity is that many people with narrow angles can be identified on a routine exam before an attack ever happens. The preferred treatment for closed or narrow-angle glaucoma is a laser procedure called peripheral iridotomy, which creates a tiny opening in the iris so fluid can reach the drainage angle and the angle can deepen. Found early, a narrow angle is a short in-office laser visit instead of an emergency.
If glaucoma is found: treatment that matches the stage
Every glaucoma treatment has the same goal: lower the eye pressure and keep it controlled. How that is done depends on the type of glaucoma and how advanced it is. The full range is described on our glaucoma treatment page; in brief:
- Prescription eye drops lower pressure and are often the first step. The catch is that they must be used every day, for life, and many people forget doses.
- Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT) is a few-minute, in-office laser that helps fluid drain out of the eye. It works around the clock with no drops to remember, is not associated with the systemic side effects drops can have, typically lasts several years, can be repeated, and is covered by Medicare and most insurance plans.
- Surgery is reserved for more advanced or hard-to-control glaucoma: canaloplasty to restore the eye’s natural drainage, trabeculectomy, and glaucoma drainage devices for glaucoma that does not respond to conventional filtering surgery.
Because glaucoma is lifelong, treatment is never one-and-done. Regular follow-up confirms the pressure is controlled and catches any progression while there is still vision to protect.
Meet Berg-Feinfield’s glaucoma specialist, Dr. Lilit Minasyan
All ophthalmologists are trained to diagnose glaucoma. A glaucoma specialist has gone further, with fellowship training focused on the disease. That matters most for the hard calls: whether borderline findings are early glaucoma or normal variation, when to move from drops to laser, and when a patient is a surgical candidate.
Lilit Minasyan, MD
Dr. Minasyan is a board-certified ophthalmologist with more than ten years of experience, specializing in glaucoma, cataract surgery, and the treatment of a variety of eye diseases. She earned her undergraduate degree at UCLA, her medical degree and ophthalmology residency at UC San Diego, and completed a glaucoma fellowship at the UCLA Doheny Eye Institute.
She is an active member of the American Glaucoma Society, the author of a number of research articles and publications, and is fluent in English, Armenian, and Russian. Because she is also a cataract surgeon, patients who have both glaucoma and a cataract can have both conditions managed by the same physician. Read Dr. Minasyan’s full profile.
Glaucoma care close to home in the San Fernando Valley and beyond
Dr. Minasyan sees glaucoma patients at our Burbank office, 2625 W. Alameda Ave., Suite 208, Burbank, CA 91505. Burbank is central for much of the region:
- Burbank, Glendale, Toluca Lake, North Hollywood, and Studio City are a short drive away.
- Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley are typically about 25 minutes via the 134.
- Sherman Oaks, Encino, Van Nuys, and the central Valley connect via the 101 or Riverside Drive.
- Valencia and Santa Clarita are about 30 minutes south on the 5.
If you already see Berg-Feinfield at our Sherman Oaks, Beverly Hills, Arcadia, or Valencia office, our team can arrange your glaucoma visit in Burbank. Find addresses and phone numbers for every office on our locations page.
Already see an optometrist? Keep them in the loop
Many patients first hear the word glaucoma from their own optometrist, who notices a high pressure reading or a suspicious optic nerve and recommends a specialist. That partnership is the norm, not the exception. Most patients who come to Berg-Feinfield continue to see their own optometrist for routine care, and we work alongside them, sharing findings and treatment plans so care stays coordinated. For patients who do not have an eye doctor, our in-house team of ophthalmologists and optometrists provides that care. Optometrists can learn more on our partnering optometrists page.
Six habits that protect your optic nerve
- Know your family history. Ask parents and siblings whether anyone has glaucoma, and tell your eye doctor.
- Get the baseline exam at 40, or earlier if you have risk factors, and keep the follow-up schedule your doctor recommends.
- Use steroid medications, including steroid eye drops, only as prescribed, and make sure your eye pressure is checked if you need them long term.
- Protect your eyes from injury with safety eyewear for sports, yard work, and home projects, since a prior eye injury raises glaucoma risk.
- If you are prescribed drops, use them every day. Missed doses are one of the most common reasons glaucoma progresses. If drops are a struggle, ask whether SLT is an option.
- Treat sudden eye pain, halos, and blurred vision as an emergency. These can be signs of acute angle closure.
Schedule a glaucoma evaluation in Burbank
Whether you have a family history, a borderline pressure reading from another exam, or it has simply been years since your last eye exam, a glaucoma evaluation with Dr. Minasyan gives you a clear answer and a plan.
Written by Denali Creative, Berg-Feinfield Vision Correction’s marketing partner, from the practice’s published glaucoma care information. This article is for general education and is not medical advice; diagnosis and treatment decisions should be made with your ophthalmologist. If you have sudden eye pain, a severe headache with blurred vision, or halos around lights, seek emergency care.