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Glaucoma- Eye Problem That Needs Attention

An eye is an important organ and it is vision provider for a human. Glaucoma is an eye disease; it affects the eye health. Mainly this disease affects the optic nerve in the eye and leads to vision loss permanently. This disease creates the pressure in the eye and damages the optic nerve present in the eyes. After the optic nerve gets damaged, the eye is unable to send the image information to the brain. So finally, it causes a permanent vision loss. According to a report, Glaucoma is the second largest eye blindness disease; it affected more than 60.5 million people around the world in the year 2010 and it may increase 80 million by the year of 2020.

Types of Glaucoma:

There are two main types of Glaucoma. They are

  • Closed-angle glaucoma: This type of glaucoma is common in several people. Basically, this type of glaucoma creates heavy pressure and pain suddenly and also makes the short time vision loss. In this type, the patients can easily skip by following the regular doctor advice and medical treatments.
  • Open-angle glaucoma: This type of glaucoma problem is not easily understood or diagnosed by the people. This disease grows slowly and not shows any symptoms. But it will make the vision loss permanent. Patients are not able to regain the vision by using the medical treatment, after the nerve damaged in the eyes.

What are the symptoms of glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a complicated eye health condition that damage eye’s optic nerve leads to vision loss.

There are two major kind of glaucoma one is most common type “open-angle glaucoma” also calls it “wide-angle glaucoma” and other is less common type “Angle-closure glaucoma” also called as “chronic angle-closure or narrow-angle glaucoma”.

The symptoms and signs of open-angle glaucoma and angle-closure glaucoma are slightly different.

Symptoms of Open-Angle Glaucoma

Most people don’t have any early symptoms or warning signs. It is a silent killer for eye and develops slowly without any noticeable hint. Most of the folk feel fine and don’t recognize a change in their vision in initial level because the early loss of vision is a peripheral vision and the sharpness of vision is sustained until late in the disease. That’s why open-angle glaucoma is called as “sneak thief of vision”.

  • Central or peripheral vision is slowly but surely lost mostly affects in both eyes.
  • In complex stage person experience tunnel vision

Symptoms of Angle-Closure Glaucoma

Symptoms of acute angle-closure glaucoma are clear and visible. Some people have early symptoms can include halos, eye pain, blurred vision, mild headaches etc. If anyone suffers from these kinds of symptoms should be consulted immediately with their ophthalmologist.

Signs of angle-closure glaucoma as follows

  • A severe pain in the eyes or headaches
  • Lack of vision or blurred vision
  • Redness of eye
  • Vomiting and Nausea
  • Feels rainbows or halos around lights

 

What are the method of diagnosing glaucoma?

It’s not easy to diagnose glaucoma, & there are several varieties of the problems. Glaucoma is difficult problem because it may not show symptoms. The most common type problem of glaucoma is Main open angle Glaucoma, has virtually no symptoms & no pain. Sometimes vision loss starts with your peripheral, but you may compensate for this involuntarily by turning your head to the side and not notice anything until substantial vision is lost. 50% people who have glaucoma may not know they have it.

If you are at high risk for glaucoma, you should have a dilated pupil eye checking at least every one years. To help diagnose glaucoma, an ophthalmologist will perform a comprehensive eye check that may include the follow eye test.

 

  • TONOMETRY – Tonometry test is measures eye pressure by the eyes resistance to the air.
  • PUPILDILATION – Pupil dilation is the special drops that temporarily enlarge the pupil so that the doctor can best view the inside of the eye.
  • OPHTHALMOSCOPY – This ophthalmoscopy test is help your physician find glaucoma injure in your optic nerve.
  • PERIMETRY – Perimetry is visual field test and this test will be help a physician whether your vision has been suffering from glaucoma.
  • GONIOSCOPY – This test is diagnostic exam helps determine whether the angle where the iris meets the cornea is open & wide.

All Five methods are noninvasive and just for glaucoma. Your physician decides which method to use depending on your glaucoma circumstance.

 

What are the treatments available for glaucoma?

Glaucoma can be cured with medications, laser treatment or surgery. It depends on the type of glaucoma, medication or surgery used. With any type of glaucoma, regular eye checkup is important to prevent loss of vision.

Medications: Initially glaucoma is treated with eye drops like Bimatoprost and Brimonidine Tartrate. These eye drops can be used normally several times a day. There are different types of medications can be used, but they all perform by decreasing the production of fluid inside the eye. It is essential to speak your ophthalmologist about the eye medications you are using for the glaucoma treatment. Because glaucoma medications can have side effects, such as appetite, kidney stones, anemia, sleepiness. Some side effect from eye drops, such as eye irritation, blurred vision headaches.

Laser Treatment: Another treatment for glaucoma is laser treatment which is also effective. This treatment may be advised if medications don’t improve your symptoms. Laser Trabeculoplasty is a laser treatment used to improve the eye drainage function to reduce pressure inside the eye when treating open – angle glaucoma. Laser Iridotomy is a laser treatment used to create tiny holes in your iris to improve the fluid to drain from your eye when treating narrow-angle glaucoma.

Surgery: In surgery treatment, your ophthalmologist will use a microscope or particular instruments to create a new bypass drainage channel for the eye fluid to clear blockages. The new channel helps to reduce the eye pressure. This treatment will be advised only if your doctor thinks the benefit of a lower eye pressure performed with a surgery.

 

The glaucoma diseases are overcome by following the medical treatment at the initial stage. Additional known about the glaucoma disease symptoms (Eye pain, Blurred vision, Red eyes, and unexpected vision problems) may help the people overcome this disease from their life.

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