Glaucoma
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Glaucoma: The Silent Thief of Sight
Glaucoma is a disease that affects millions of
people all over the world. The word glaucoma actually refers to
several disorders of the eye that are caused by this buildup of
internal eye pressure. This disorder has been called the
“silent thief of sight” because there are no glaucoma
symptoms or pain associated with most types of this disease
until your vision is affected.
Unfortunately, this means that the glaucoma may
not be detected until it is too late. This pressure damages the
optic nerve of the eye which is what transmits visual
information to the brain. By the time your vision is affected
the optic nerve has usually sustained damage that is
irreversible and any vision loss you suffer from will already
be permanent.
However, there is one type of glaucoma called
the “Narrow-Angle Glaucoma” that does have symptoms. With this
condition you may experience blurry vision, intense eye pain,
redness, nausea or vomiting. You may also see halos around
lights. Make sure you see your eye doctor immediately if you
experience these symptoms.
There are different degrees of vision loss associated with
glaucoma. If left untreated then it can begin affecting your
peripheral vision. This is when you begin noticing a decrease
in the ability to see at the edges of your vision. Overtime it
can lead to complete blindness.
Who Is at Risk for Glaucoma?
Anyone can get glaucoma. However, some people
are at a higher risk than others. Below you will find a list of
factors that can increase your risk.
• Having a family history of
glaucoma
• Injury to the eyes
• History of diabetes
• Anyone past the age of forty-five
• History of nearsightedness or farsightedness
• Use of steroids
These factors increase your odds of having
glaucoma but they do not mean that you will definitely end up
with the disease. Neither does it mean that you will not get
glaucoma if these factors do not apply to you.
Glaucoma Treatment
Once glaucoma has been diagnosed, treatment can
begin. It is very important to treat this condition as soon as
possible so receiving eye exams often is recommended especially
if you are at high risk for this disease. Keep in mind that
damage already done to the eyes usually cannot be reversed but
you can prevent more damage from occurring with treatment.
Treatment is used to make the intraocular
pressure that causes damage to the eye go back to normal again
and can include using eye drops, laser or surgery. A patient
with glaucoma is rarely given pills to take but it is possible.
You may be prescribed more than one type of eye drop to use
several times a day. They work by lowering the production of
aqueous fluid or by increasing the drainage of this fluid to
relieve the pressure around the eyes.
Laser or surgery is done when needed to reduce
the intraocular pressure caused by this condition. Glaucoma is
the second leading cause of partial and complete blindness in
all patients with eye problems. It is recommended that you
receive regular eye exams to help protect you from this medical
condition.
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and your eyes
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