Glaucoma: Types, Symptoms, Causes, Treatment & Prevention
The optic nerve in your eye is damaged by glaucoma, which gets worse over time. A buildup of pressure inside your eye is frequently linked to it. Glaucoma will in general spat families. It usually comes along later in life. The increased tension in your eye, known as intraocular pressure, can harm your optic nerve, which sends pictures to your eyes. Glaucoma can cause permanent vision loss or even complete blindness within a few years if the damage gets worse.
The majority of people with glaucoma experience no early signs or pain. You should always see an eye doctor so they can check for and treat glaucoma before you lose your long-term vision. You can’t get your vision back if you lose it, but lowering your eye pressure can help you keep your sight. A great many people with glaucoma who follow their treatment plan and have standard eye tests can keep their vision. Glaucoma is thought to be the third most common cause of blindness worldwide, affecting 6.5 million people worldwide
What Kinds of Glaucoma Are There?
1. Chronic open-angle glaucoma:
The only sign or symptom of open-angle, or chronic, glaucoma is gradual vision loss. This misfortune might be delayed to the point that your vision can experience hopeless harm before some other signs become obvious. This is the most prevalent type of glaucoma, according to the National Eye Institute (NEI).
2. Point Conclusion (Intense) Glaucoma:
The rapid buildup of fluid that results from a sudden blockage in the flow of your aqueous humor fluid may result in a rapid, severe, and painful increase in pressure. Glaucoma with angle closure is a life-threatening condition. If you begin to experience symptoms like severe pain, nausea, and blurry vision, you should see a doctor right away.
3. Glaucoma from birth:
A defect in the angle of the eye in children born with congenital glaucoma slows or prevents normal fluid drainage. Typically, congenital glaucoma is accompanied by symptoms such as sensitivity to light, excessive tear production, or cloudy eyes. Glaucoma that occurs at birth can run in families.
4. Anterior Glaucoma:
Secondary glaucoma is frequently a side effect of another eye condition, like cataracts or eye tumors, or of an injury. This kind of glaucoma can also be brought on by certain medications, like corticosteroids. Seldom, eye a medical procedure can cause optional glaucoma.
5. Glaucoma from Normal Tension:
Optic nerve damage can happen to people who don’t have high eye pressure. The reason for this is unknown. However, this kind of glaucoma may be caused by extreme sensitivity or a lack of blood flow to the optic nerve.
What is the root of glaucoma?
There is no known cause for glaucoma, but it can be influenced by a variety of things. Intraocular eye pressure is the one of these factors that matters the most. Your eyes are nourished by a fluid known as aqueous humor. This fluid courses through your understudy to the front of your eye. The drainage canals that are situated in the space in between your iris and cornea are where fluid leaves in healthy eyes.
When you have glaucoma, your drainage canals become more resistant. Because there is nowhere for the fluid to go, it builds up in your eye. Your eye is put under pressure by the excess fluid. Glaucoma can develop as a result of optic nerve damage caused by this elevated eye pressure over time.
Glaucoma symptoms:
- Blind spots, blurred vision, narrow or tunnel vision, and sudden vision loss
- Eye torment (extreme eye torment on account of intense point glaucoma)
- Migraines and headaches
- Shiny eyes
- Spots of light around them
- Vomiting and nausea (in severe cases)
- Sadly, there are typically no early warning signs, so half of people with this disease are unaware they have eye health issues.
- Because vision is preserved until late in the disease, when irreversible and permanent damage has already occurred, glaucoma is referred to as the “Silent Thief of Sight.” To lower eye pressure and help minimize long-term damage, as with many diseases, early detection and treatment, as well as regular treatment follow-up, are crucial.
Glaucoma Hazard Elements:
Although young adults, children, and even infants can develop glaucoma, the majority of affected adults are over 40. African Americans typically develop it more frequently, at a younger age, and with greater visual impairment. You have a better chance of getting it if:
- Are Irish, Russian, Japanese, Hispanic, Inuit, or Scandinavian in origin
- Are older than 40 • Have glaucoma in your family
- Do you have near- or farsightedness?
- Lack clear vision
- Possess diabetes
- Take prednisone or other steroid medications.
- Take prescription or over-the-counter medications for colds, seizures, or bladder control
- Have sustained an eye or eye injuries
- Have corneas that are more slender than expected
- Have hypertension, coronary illness, diabetes, or sickle cell pallor • Have high eye pressure
What Does Glaucoma Feel Like?
The majority of cases of glaucoma, especially in its early stages, cannot be felt, with the exception of acute closed- or narrow-angle glaucoma. Intense shut or limit point glaucoma side effects strike rapidly. It is frequently referred to as “the worst eye pain of my life.” The signs include:
- Extreme pulsating eye torment
- Swollen eyes
- Headaches on the same side of the eye that is affected
- Vision that is blurry or hazy
- Spots of light around them
- Widened student
- Drowsiness and nausea This sort of glaucoma is a health related crisis. Go to the trauma center immediately. If the optic nerve is damaged, it can start to hurt within a few hours, and if it isn’t treated within six to twelve hours, it could result in severe, permanent vision loss or blindness or even a permanently dilated pupil.
How does glaucoma get detected?
- A dilated eye exam to look at your optic nerve at the back of your eyes and widen your pupils.
- Gonioscopy to inspect the point where your iris and cornea meet.
- Optical coherence tomography (OCT) to check for signs of glaucoma in your optic nerve.
- Tonometry, or the ocular pressure test, to measure eye pressure.
- Pachymetry to gauge corneal thickness.
- Slit lamp examination: Using a specialized microscope called a slit lamp, you can look inside your eye.
- An eye chart-based visual acuity test to check for vision loss.
- A visual field test called perimetry to see if your ability to see to the side or in the distance has changed.
Treatment:
The effects of glaucoma damage cannot be undone. However, if you catch the disease in its early stages, treatment and regular eye exams can help slow or prevent vision loss. Eyedrops Prescription eye drops are often the first treatment for glaucoma. By improving how fluid drains from your eye, some may help lower eye pressure. Your eye’s fluid production is reduced by others.
Administered orally Eye drops alone may not bring your eye strain down to the ideal level. Therefore, oral medications may also be prescribed by your eye doctor. Typically, this medication is a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor. Conceivable aftereffects incorporate continuous pee, shivering in the fingers and toes, discouragement, stomach upset, and kidney stones. Treatments like surgery Laser therapy and surgery are two additional options for treatment.
The following methods may assist in reducing eye pressure and draining fluid from the eye:
- Laser treatment. Your eye doctor will use a small laser to help the tissue at the angle where the iris and cornea meet drain better. The full impact of this procedure may not be felt for several weeks.
- Surgery for filtering: Surgically, this is known as a trabeculectomy (truh-bek-u-LEK-tuh-me). An opening is made in the white of the eye, also known as the sclera, by the surgeon. Another opening for fluid to exit the eye is created during the procedure.
- Drainage conduits: The eye surgeon inserts a small tube into your eye to drain excess fluid and reduce eye pressure during this procedure.
Is Preventing Glaucoma Possible?
Although glaucoma cannot be prevented, early detection is still critical for initiating treatment to prevent its worsening. The most effective way to get any sort of glaucoma early is to have a yearly preventive eye care arrangement. Make a meeting with an ophthalmologist. During these routine eye exams, simple tests might be able to catch glaucoma damage before it gets worse and starts affecting vision.