Posts
Today I am writing
about glaucoma, I always thought it to be a single disease concerning the eye; however,
my research says it is a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve,
usually because of increased pressure inside the eye.
It’s one of the
leading causes of irreversible blindness worldwide but with early detection and
treatment, most people keep their vision.
The optic nerve is
like a high‑speed cable carrying visual information from your eye to your
brain. When pressure inside the eye rises (or when the nerve is unusually
fragile), those nerve fibres slowly die. Once they’re gone, they cannot be
repaired.
Your eyes are
filled with fluid that constantly flows in and out of your eyes, bringing
nutrients to your eyes.
If the fluid doesn't
leave your eye as easily as it enters, pressure can build up inside the eye.
The increase in eye
pressure can damage your optic nerve. Your optic nerve links the back of your
eye to your brain and allows you to see. Damage to your optic nerve results in
damage to your vision.
Glaucoma can
sometimes occur even when the fluid pressure in your eye is normal.
Most glaucoma
develops silently over years, which is why it’s often called the “silent thief
of sight.”
There are 2 main
types of glaucoma.
Open-angle — where
fluid pressure builds up in the front part of your eye, even when the fluid
drainage pathways are open.
Closed-angle (or
angle-closure) — where the eye's fluid drainage pathways are narrowed or
closed, so fluid pressure builds up quickly. This may cause pain in the eye and
sudden loss of vision.
It
can also be categorised as either, primary glaucoma, with an unknown cause or secondary
glaucoma, caused by an eye condition, such as surgery, trauma, drugs or eye
disease
Primary open-angle
glaucoma is the most common form of glaucoma in Australia.
Usually, the
deterioration in vision is very gradual and not noticeable. From the age of 40 regular
eye examinations.
Once found, glaucoma
can be treated to prevent or delay further vision loss.
You are at higher
risk of developing glaucoma if you:
have a close
relative with glaucoma
have high eye
pressure
are aged over 50
years
are either short or
long sighted
use (or have used)
cortisone (steroid) medicines for long periods
have diabetes or
either high or low blood pressure
get migraine
headaches
have had an eye
operation or eye injury
If you have chronic
angle-closure glaucoma you sometimes get vision problems. This may be
halo-like images around lights or you may have no symptoms.
If you have acute
angle-closure glaucoma you may get:
sudden, severe eye
pain
nausea and vomiting
headache
watery eyes
blurred vision
halos around bright
lights
Since acute
angle-closure glaucoma is an emergency, you should seek treatment straight away
so you don't lose vision. You need urgent treatment if:
one or both of your
eyes quickly becomes painful and red
your vision gets
blurred
you notice halos
(rings) around lights
Treatment
for chronic angle-closure glaucoma is designed to prevent or slow
further damage, mainly by reducing the pressure in the eye. This may involve, eye
drops, oral medicine or laser surgery or other surgery to open or create a
new drainage channel. The surgery is usually an outpatient or day-surgery
procedure.
Nerve cells damaged
by glaucoma can't be repaired.
