What You Should Know About Glaucoma.
Glaucoma is often called the “sneak thief” of vision, because it
usually
doesn’t cause any symptoms until damage has already been done. It is
one
of the leading causes of preventable blindness in the U.S. and affects
African-Americans most often.
What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a condition in which the optic nerve, which carries the
images we see to the brain, is damaged. The damage is caused when
pressure builds up inside the eye. The clear liquid known as the
aqueous
humor, which normally flows from the eye, fails to drain properly.
This
results in pressure, which can damage the optic nerve.
Ophthalmologists used to think glaucoma was mainly caused by high
intraocular pressure. Now we know that it can occur even with normal
intraocular pressure. That’s why it is so important to have your eyes
tested regularly for glaucoma, especially if you are in a high-risk
group, which includes older persons, those of African ancestry, and
those with a family history of glaucoma.
Glaucoma in its early stages.
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Glaucoma in its late stage.
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Types of Glaucoma.
There are two types of glaucoma. One is open-angle glaucoma, which accounts
for 90 percent of glaucoma cases. The other is angle-closure glaucoma, which
involves the remaining 10 percent. In open-angle glaucoma, the drainage network
is open, but drains very slowly, causing higher pressure. With acute
angle-closure glaucoma, sudden closure of the drainage causes extremely high
pressure and pain in the eye. This requires emergency eye treatment to prevent
blindness.
.
What are the Symptoms?
Most people with glaucoma do not notice any symptoms until they have
already begun to lose some vision. They may notice that side vision is
reduced. They may also have blind spots. If the entire nerve is
destroyed, blindness results. With angle-closure glaucoma, there may
be
some symptoms, which include:
- blurred vision
- severe eye pain
- headache
- nausea and vomiting
- halos or rainbows that appear around lights
If you have any of these symptoms, see your ophthalmologist
immediately.
What is the Treatment?
There is no cure for glaucoma, but once it is diagnosed, there are
several effectiveness treatments that will control the condition and
prevent the risk of blindness. Treatment will have to be continued
throughout your lifetime.
Among the medications used to treat glaucoma are topical eye drops,
which reduce or control the intraocular pressure in your eye. Miotics
increase the outflow of aqueous fluid from the eye. Some of these
include Isopto® Carpine, Ocusert®, Pilocar®, and Pilopine®. Epineprine
compounds also increase the outflow of aqueous fluid. These include
Epifrin® and Propine®. Other medications used to treat glaucoma are
beta-blockers, which reduce the amount of aqueous fluid in the eye and
include Betagan®, Betimol®, Betoptic®, Ocupress®, Optimpranalol®, and
Timoptic®. Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors and alpha-adreneregic
agonists
also work to reduce the amount of aqueous fluid. Other medications
include Xalatan®, Diamox® ,and Neptazane®.
In some cases of glaucoma, surgery might be the best treatment. Types
of
surgery that can help reduce the effects of glaucoma and allow for
better drainage, include laser surgery, such as trabeculoplasty,
iridotomy, and cyclophotocoagulation. Incisional surgery, such as
filtering surgery, can open a tiny hole that allows for drainage.
