What Is Glaucoma and How Can it Be Treated?
What is glaucoma??
Glaucoma is an umbrella term used to describe an array of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve. It is the leading cause of?irreversible blindness?worldwide, affecting around 3 million Americans and 80 million people across the globe. This disease causes progressive damage to the optic nerve through a buildup of fluid and increased pressure at the front of the eye that can lead to permanent vision loss and blindness. There is no cure for glaucoma, but early detection and treatment can save your eyesight.?Treatment?options can include medication, surgery, and laser therapy.?
What are the symptoms??
Common symptoms of glaucoma include:?
Unfortunately, some types of glaucoma present little to no warning symptoms aside from gradual vision loss. This side effect is often mistaken for a?natural part of aging, so it’s important to have yearly?eye exams?to identify any drastic changes.?
Who is at risk for glaucoma??
While glaucoma can affect anyone, certain individuals are at a higher risk than others. This includes people with:?
Types of glaucoma?
There are five main types of glaucoma, which include:?
Open-angle, or chronic, glaucoma is the most common type of this disease, accounting for around?90% of all cases. It’s also one of the most difficult to detect, as it causes no serious symptoms aside from gradual vision loss.
This type of glaucoma occurs when the drainage canals in your eyes experience a surplus of fluid and build up resistance. Over several years or months, this pressure begins to damage your optic nerve and impair your vision.?
Also known as closed-angle or narrow-angle glaucoma, this acute form of the disease occurs much more suddenly. This rare type of glaucoma is found in patients who have a very narrow angle between the iris and cornea.?
If your pupil dilates too quickly, it could block your drainage canals and prevent fluid from leaving the eye. In this instance, immediate medical attention is required. Symptoms include severe eye pain, nausea, and headaches.
Another rare form of eye disease, congenital glaucoma occurs in people who are born with incomplete drainage canals. It’s typically diagnosed at birth or during early childhood. This eye disease tends to be genetic, and symptoms include excessive tearing, extreme sensitivity to light, and cloudy eyes.?
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Sometimes people develop glaucoma as a side-effect of another eye injury or disease, such as cataracts or tumors. Similarly, patients with extensive use of corticosteroid therapy may also develop glaucoma. This is referred to as secondary glaucoma.?
Normal tension glaucoma remains a mystery to ophthalmologists as experts are unsure of the cause of this type of eye disease. It is speculated that a lack of blood flow to the optic nerve or extreme sensitivity causes normal tension glaucoma. It is especially prevalent among individuals of Asian descent.?
How is glaucoma diagnosed??
It is very possible to have glaucoma and be unaware of it. However, the sooner it is diagnosed, the better your chances of slowing down the irreversible damage this disease poses to your vision. Therefore, it’s recommended that you schedule regular optic health and vision exams.?
Diagnoses can be achieved through:
How can glaucoma be treated??
Early detection is important because the longer glaucoma goes untreated, the more likely that permanent vision loss or even blindness will occur. Depending on the type of glaucoma you have and the severity of your condition, your doctor will prescribe one or more of the following three treatments.?
Prescription eye drops can help lower fluid levels and promote drainage in the canals to relieve intraocular pressure. As glaucoma is a chronic condition with no known cure, patients will most likely need to apply these eye drops every day for the rest of their lives. An alternative to eye drops is an implant that dissolves and provides medicinal relief for a few months.?
Laser treatment can also help improve fluid drainage and relieve the build-up of pressure in the eye. It’s sometimes prescribed as an initial therapy alongside the use of eye drops. Laser treatment results vary widely across patients – some people can go for years without the need for repeat therapy.?
The most common surgical treatment for glaucoma is known as a trabeculectomy. This involves removing part of the eye’s drainage tubes to allow fluid to drain more easily. Alternatively, minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS), is a more modern procedure with a shorter recovery time. The type of surgery your doctor recommends will depend on the severity of your case.
While surgery can provide faster and more effective results than medication or laser therapy, it’s also the most invasive of the three treatments, which is why managing glaucoma with medication is often preferred. Of course, medications also have their downsides, especially the price. Luckily, there are resources that can help.
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