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Glaucoma
Table of Contents
What is Glaucoma ?
Best Glaucoma Treatment Doctor in Mumbai
Glaucoma is the term used to describe a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve, the nerve that connects the eye to the brain. If left untreated glaucoma can result in blindness.
In the more common forms of glaucoma, there is increased pressure in the eye which presses on the optic nerve and causes a gradual loss of peripheral vision.
Who Is At Risk For Glaucoma ?
High eye pressure alone does not mean that you have glaucoma, but it is an important risk factor your ophthalmologist will use to determine your risk for developing the disease.
The most important risk factors include :
- Age
- Elevated eye pressure
- Thin cornea
- Family history of glaucoma
- Nearsightedness
- Past injuries to the eyes
- Steroid use
- A history of severe anemia or shock
Types Of Glaucoma :
There are two main types of glaucoma:
Open-angle glaucoma : Also called wide-angle glaucoma, this is the most common type of glaucoma. The structures of the eye appear normal, but fluid in the eye does not flow properly through the drain of the eye, called the trabecular meshwork.
Angle-closure glaucoma : Also called acute or chronic angle-closure or narrow-angle glaucoma. Poor drainage is caused because the angle between the iris and the cornea is too narrow and is physically blocked by the iris. This condition leads to a sudden buildup of pressure in the eye.
What Are The Symptoms Of Glaucoma ?
Glaucoma most often occurs in adults over age 40, but it can also occur in young adults, children, and even infants.
For most people, there are usually few or no symptoms of glaucoma. The first sign of glaucoma is often the loss of peripheral or side vision, which can go unnoticed until late in the disease. This is why glaucoma is often called the “sneak thief of vision.
Detecting glaucoma early is one reason you should have a complete exam with an eye specialist every one to two years. Occasionally, intraocular pressure can rise to severe levels. In these cases, sudden eye pain, headache, blurred vision, or the appearance of halos around lights may occur.
If you have any of the following symptoms, seek immediate medical care :
- Seeing halos around lights
- Vision loss
- Redness in the eye
- Eye that looks hazy (particularly in infants)
- Nausea or vomiting
- Pain in the eye
- Narrowing of vision (tunnel vision)
Detecting glaucoma early is one reason you should have a complete exam with an eye specialist every one to two years. Occasionally, intraocular pressure can rise to severe levels. In these cases, sudden eye pain, headache, blurred vision, or the appearance of halos around lights may occur.
How To Diagnosis Glaucoma ?
In the more common forms of glaucoma, there is increased pressure in the eye which presses on the optic nerve and causes a gradual loss of peripheral vision.
- Visual Acuity Test : This eye chart test measures how well you see at various distances.
- Visual Field Test : This test measures your side (peripheral) vision. It helps your eye care professional tell if you have lost side vision, a sign of glaucoma.
- Dilated Eye Exam : Dilation of pupils provides a better view of the optic nerve to check for signs of damage. Drops are placed in your eyes to widen, or dilate, the pupils. After the exam, your close-up vision may remain blurred for several hours.
- Tonometry : The procedure to determine the IOP (intraocular pressure) of the eye.
- Pachymetry : A numbing drop is applied to your eye. Your eye care professional uses an ultrasonic wave instrument to measure the thickness of your cornea.
- Gonioscopy : To inspect the drainage angle of your eye.
- Glaucoma OCT : The Glaucoma module of the OCT helps in the better understanding and management of the glaucoma. OCT is one of the advanced tools to early detect glaucoma as early as 20% damage.
We will weigh all of these factors before deciding if you need treatment for glaucoma; or whether you should be monitored regularly as a glaucoma suspect to detect the early signs of damage to the optic nerve.
Treatment For Glaucoma ?
In the more common forms of glaucoma, there is increased pressure in the eye which presses on the optic nerve and causes a gradual loss of peripheral vision.
The treatment for glaucoma depends upon the nature and severity of each case. In general, glaucoma cannot be cured, but it can be controlled. Eye drops, pills, laser procedures, and surgical operations are used to prevent or slow further damage from occurring. With any type of glaucoma, regular eye examinations are very important to detect progression and to prevent vision loss. Because glaucoma can worsen without you being aware of it, your treatment will likely need to be changed over time to achieve a lower “target eye pressure.”
Medicines :
Glaucoma is often treated with eye drops taken regularly several times a day, sometimes in combination with pills. These medications will alter the circulation of eye fluid and lower eye pressure, either by decreasing the production of fluid within the eye or by increasing the flow leaving the drainage angle.
It is important to tell all of your doctors about the eye medications you are using because glaucoma medications can have side effects. You should notify immediately if you think you may be experiencing side effects. Side-effects from some eye drops may include a stinging sensation, red eyes, blurred vision, headaches, or changes in pulse, heartbeat, or breathing. Side-effects from pills may include tingling of fingers and toes, drowsiness, loss of appetite, bowel irregularities, kidney stones, anemia, or bleeding disorders.
Laser Surgery :
Laser surgery is also effective for glaucoma treatment. Trabeculoplasty is a laser treatment to enhance the eye drain age function to control eye pressure within the eye when treating open-angle glaucoma. Iridotomy is laser treatment to create tiny holes in the iris to improve the flow of eye fluid to the drain when treating narrow-angle glaucoma.
Operative Surgery :
When operative surgery is needed to treat glaucoma, the doctor will use a microscope and specialized instruments to create a new bypass drainage channel for the eye fluid to leave the eye. The new channel helps to lower eye pressure. Surgery will be recommended only if it requires to the benefit of a lower eye pressure achieved with an operation outweighs possible complications and/or further progression of optic nerve damage.