What is glaucoma? causes, symptoms, and treatment

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a degenerative disease that develops after damage to the optic nerve and the causes vary depending on the type of glaucoma. Largely, glaucoma is due to an increase in intraocular pressure. As for congenital glaucoma, this is not a common disease and it manifests during the first 3 years of life and may be the cause of inadequate development of the eye's aqueous humor drainage system. In some cases, glaucoma can be the result of other illnesses and is known as secondary glaucoma. Among these diseases are diabetes and high blood pressure, among others.

Types of glaucoma

There are several types of glaucoma, so it is important to differentiate their characteristics:

Open-angle glaucoma: This type of glaucoma is the most common. It occurs when the angle of drainage formed by the iris and the cornea remains open, causing fluid from the eye (also called aqueous fluid) to go into the drain and fail to empty properly, which generates a gradual increase in pressure in the eye.
Angle-closure glaucoma: Opposite to the type of glaucoma mentioned above, this type of glaucoma occurs when the iris becomes inflamed. This inflammation blocks the drainage angle totally or partially, causing an obstruction, which prevents the circulation of the aqueous liquid, thus increasing the internal pressure of the eye. This type of glaucoma can appear suddenly or progressively.
Childhood glaucoma: There is a percentage of children who may suffer from glaucoma at an early age or even be born with the condition. The optic nerve can be affected by total or partial obstruction of drainage, eye injury, or due to an underlying disease.

Glaucoma symptoms

Glaucoma symptoms can vary depending on the type and severity of the condition. Possible symptoms of open-angle glaucoma include:

Sudden blurred vision
Eye pain
Nausea or vomiting
Tunnel vision in the later stages
Slow loss pf peripheral vision
Appearance of dark or blind spots in side or peripheral vision
Difficulty seeing things in central vision

People with narrow-angle should be treated immediately or blindness could occur within 1-2 days. Symptoms can include:

Eye pain
Blurred vision
Reddening of the eye
Visual disturbance
Nausea and vomiting
Halos around lights
Severe headache

Childhood glaucoma may present the following symptoms:

Increased blinking or constant blinking
Watery eyes without the child crying
Blurred vision
Headache
Accelerated progress of myopia in the child

If you think you are experiencing glaucoma symptoms, arrange your eye exam today.

Treatments for glaucoma

Glaucoma is treated by lowering your eye pressure. Depending on the severity of your condition, our trained optometrists may recommend:

Prescription eye drops: Eye drops are the most common form of treatment. Some help lower pressure by improving how fluid drains from the eyes, while others can help decrease the amount of fluid produced by the eyes.
Oral medications: This medication is a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor that helps control eye pressure.
Laser treatment: This is the step to follow when eye drop treatments do not work or the eyes do not tolerate their use. The ophthalmologist will use laser treatment to improve the functioning of the tissues located in the drainage angle where the iris and cornea meet. This treatment can take weeks to show results.
Surgical procedures: If laser treatments fail, surgical procedures are the last option available to treat glaucoma. Among the different surgical options are filtration surgery (trabeculectomy), drainage tube implantation, or minimally invasive glaucoma surgery. Depending on the symptoms present, the type of glaucoma that occurs, and the results with the previous treatments, the doctor will determine which of the surgical procedures is the best.

How to prevent glaucoma

There are a few ways to decrease your chances of getting glaucoma:

Exercise regularly: A healthy exercise routine can help reduce eye pressure in open-angle glaucoma patients.
Limit your caffeine: Drinking beverages with large amounts of caffeine may increase your eye pressure.
Sleep with your head elevated: Keeping your head slightly raised has been shown to reduce intraocular eye pressure while you sleep.
Eat a balanced diet: Eating foods high in zinc, copper, selenium, and antioxidant vitamins C, E, and A have been shown to improve eye health.
Follow everyday eye care tips: Taking a few preventative tips, like wearing sunglasses and resting your eyes, can help keep your eyes healthier for longer.

Find out if you have glaucoma

There are several ways that your optometrist will check for glaucoma during your routine comprehensive eye exam:

Visual Field Test: There are various types of visual field tests, but the purpose of each is to determine what can be seen straight ahead, below, above and to either side when focusing on a single point. This helps evaluate where your peripheral vision begins and ends.
Puff Test: A tonometer is used to measure your intraocular pressure where a puff of air is sent onto your eye’s surface.
Dilation Drops: Drops are used to dilate the pupil so that the doctor can see through your eye to examine the shape and colour of the optic nerve. Then, the doctor uses a small device with a light on the end to magnify the nerve.

To test for glaucoma, arrange an eye exam today.

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