Glaucoma Signs and Treatment

Glaucoma is an eye disease or a group of eye diseases that cause damage to the optic nerve and ultimately impairs vision. This disease has led several millions of people to go blind as a result of severity; in fact, it is said to be the third largest cause of blindness globally.

Glaucoma can exist in different forms. Most occur as a result of increasing pressure in the eye which damages the optic nerve although sometimes, damage may occur when the pressure is fairly normal. Other forms may be rare but cannot be disregarded – abnormal eye development, eye infections, interruption of blood supply to the eye, systematic diseases and inflammatory conditions can bring about their own forms of the disease.

“…without treatment, this disease can lead to permanent and irreversible loss of vision”, take note!

THREE MAJOR FORMS OF GLAUCOMA

• Open-angle Glaucoma: This is yet the most common form of the dangerous disease which you definitely want to avoid. OAG damages the optic nerve slowly, causing it to lose vision gradually and makes room for both eyes to go bad simultaneously. This process can be extremely slow that sometimes, it takes a while to notice a change in your vision.
• Congenital Glaucoma: This form may not be popular in the U.S but it accounts for a sizeable percent of eye-sight loss worldwide. The congenital form comes present in infants at birth and at the first few years of the child’s life, we can refer to it as infantile glaucoma. Any child with this disease is usually spotted with cloudy eyes that become highly sensitive to light and tear easily. If not detected at an early stage, the child may go bling permanently.
• Closed-angle Glaucoma: In CAG, the colored region of the eye (iris) together with the lens, impedes the movement of fluid between the chambers present in the eye which then causes pressure to build up and as a result, force the iris to perform trabecular meshwork (a press on the drainage system of the eye). This particular form can be noticed when there is redness and pain as well as blurred vision.

WHAT CAUSES GLAUCOMA?

As aforementioned, damage to the optic nerve is often caused by increased pressure in the organ of sight – intraocular pressure. This may be born from excess fluid (aqueous humor) that builds up in the eye due to lesser drains. A decreased blood-flow to the optic nerve can also result in Glaucoma. Other causes may include wrong eye medication and glaucoma caused as a result of another eye condition (secondary glaucoma)

 SYMPTOMS OF GLAUCOMA

• Eye Redness
• Nausea
• Sudden loss of sight
• Blurred vision
• Headache or severe eye pain.

“…anyone can develop Glaucoma but people of age 60 and above are at greater risk”, take note!

TREATMENT FOR GLAUCOMA

There are three main ways by which Glaucoma can be treated and they are through:

• Eye Drops
• Laser Treatment
• Surgery

Please meet your physician in due time for the appropriate form of treatment.

Glaucoma Research Foundation

The Glaucoma Research Foundation is dedicated to research, information and treatment options for Glaucoma patients. Glaucoma 360 is scheduled for February 5-7, 2015 in San Francisco. This is the fourth annual conference to unite the business and science community plus their partners to share information, progress, and discuss the future in the treatment of glaucoma.