Glaucoma Symptoms and Treatment

Glaucoma Symptoms and Treatment

Glaucoma is a disease of the eye that affects the optic nerve. It is an irreversible disease related to eye pressure. It usually affects the older age group but can also affect young patients and kids. Glaucoma symptoms are mostly recognized only at the advanced stage of the disease, hence they need to be detected earlier to prevent blindness.

The predisposing factors for glaucoma include diabetes mellitus, a high degree of refractive error, a family history, smoking, and traumatic injury. It can also occur as a complication of various eye surgeries.

The most important and modifiable factor for glaucoma is eye pressure. Intraocular pressure or eye pressure, mainly depends on the fluid inside the eye called aqueous humor. This fluid is either produced in excess, or there is a defect in the drainage of this fluid, leading to an increase in eye pressure. An increase in eye pressure can compress the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain. This compression leads to the death of optic nerve cells, leading to optic nerve damage and glaucoma.

There are various types of glaucoma, classified based on their cause. Mainly glaucoma is divided into open-angle and closed-angle glaucoma. This fundamental difference is essential for the treatment and prognosis. In an open type of glaucoma, a defect in the filtration passage causes an increase in eye pressure. In a closed type of glaucoma, there is an obstruction in the outflow passage, which will cause an increase in eye pressure. A glaucoma eye test will be taken before further advancements in the treatment.

Causes of Glaucoma

People over the age of 60 are at increased risk for the disease. However, after the age of 40, African Americans face a higher risk. The risk of developing glaucoma increases slightly with each year of age.

African Americans are significantly more likely to get glaucoma than Caucasians, and they are much more likely to suffer permanent vision loss. People of Asian descent and Native Alaskans are at higher risk of angle-closure glaucoma. People of Japanese descent are more likely to develop low-tension glaucoma.

Glaucoma treatment in Lucknow

Glaucoma symptoms such as blurred vision can be diagnosed only in advanced stages. Patients with glaucoma are detected mainly by eye examination, which includes measuring eye pressure with an instrument called a tonometer and by dilated examination of the fundus.

Eye Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve – the part of the eye that carries the images we see to the brain. When the optic nerve is damaged, blind spots start appearing, which often go unnoticed, until the nerve is significantly damaged. If proper glaucoma treatment is not taken, it could lead to total blindness.

The best treatment for glaucoma is provided at Nayanam Eye & Dental Centre in Lucknow, India. Our specialists examine the patients carefully to provide the best care.