Here's Everything You Should Know About Glaucoma
November 14, 2023
Did you know that glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in adults over 60? It's a prevalent age-related eye condition.
Although there is no cure for glaucoma, the eye condition can be managed with proper treatment, ensuring that glaucoma patients can preserve their remaining vision. However, it's often called the "Silent Thief of Sight."
This is because glaucoma doesn't present any noticeable symptoms before it starts to cause vision loss. Any vision lost due to glaucoma is irreversible, meaning you cannot regain it.
To avoid losing your vision to glaucoma, you should be aware of the condition and know your risk. Keep reading to learn everything you should know about glaucoma to ensure you're mindful of the eye condition and its potential impact on your vision.
What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma refers to a group of eye conditions that cause damage to the optic nerve. The optic nerve connects your eye to your brain, so when it's damaged, your brain can't get all the information necessary about what you're seeing.
Any damage inflicted to the optic nerve is irreparable, making vision loss due to glaucoma permanent and irreversible. Most forms of glaucoma are caused by high intraocular pressure (IOP).
High intraocular pressure occurs when the fluid that fills your eye isn't able to drain at the same rate it's produced. Increased intraocular pressure causes a buildup of fluid in the eye that puts pressure on the optic nerve.
If intraocular pressure remains elevated for too long, it will damage the optic nerve. While there are several kinds of glaucoma, the two kinds that patients are most likely to develop are these:
Open-Angle Glaucoma
Open-angle glaucoma is the most common, with around 9 in 10 glaucoma patients having it. This form of glaucoma occurs when the primary drainage angle, the gap between the iris and cornea, is open.
But the other drainage channels in the eye, called the trabecular meshwork, are blocked off. If the trabecular meshwork is blocked, this leads to a gradual rise in intraocular pressure that can take years before it begins damaging the optic nerve.
Angle-Closure Glaucoma
Angle-closure glaucoma is a much rarer form of glaucoma. About 1 in every 10 glaucoma patients has angle-closure glaucoma.
This form of glaucoma occurs when the iris bulges, closing off the primary drainage channel and causing a faster buildup of intraocular pressure. When this happens suddenly, it's called acute angle-closure glaucoma, considered a medical emergency. Luckily, acute angle-closure glaucoma causes apparent symptoms.
Are There Symptoms of Glaucoma?
Most of the time, glaucoma doesn't present symptoms until the eye condition has already progressed significantly. When you experience symptoms, they can't be alleviated, as they are caused by optic nerve damage. These symptoms include:
- Loss of peripheral vision
- Eventual tunnel vision as more peripheral vision is lost
- Eventual blindness as your vision continues to tunnel
Acute angle-closure glaucoma is the one form of glaucoma that does cause a sudden and apparent onset of symptoms, which include:
- Headache
- Blurred vision
- Severe eye pain
- Nausea and vomiting
If you experience these symptoms, seek immediate medical treatment, as you must quickly alleviate the pressure buildup from this form of glaucoma to prevent permanent vision loss.
But glaucoma won't present any symptoms in the early stages for most patients, making scheduling eye exams regularly so crucial. Eye exams are your best defense against vision-stealing eye conditions like glaucoma.
They are also the only way to detect glaucoma in the early stages. How often you need eye exams depends on your risk for glaucoma and other eye conditions, so knowing your risk is essential.
Patients at Risk for Glaucoma
Talk to your eye doctor about your risk for glaucoma and other eye conditions. They can recommend the best schedule for how often you should have eye exams. Your risk of developing glaucoma is increased if:
- You are over 55
- You have high blood pressure
- You have diabetes
- You are of African, Hispanic, Asian, or Native American descent
- You have a known family history of glaucoma
- You have thin corneas
- You are extremely nearsighted
You can reduce your risk of developing glaucoma to some degree by leading a healthy lifestyle, but it will only do so much. The best thing you can do is ensure if you do develop glaucoma, it's spotted, diagnosed, and treated early.
Are you at risk for glaucoma?
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Prevention
You can’t prevent glaucoma, but you can do your part to prevent vision loss early in life from glaucoma. The best way to do this is by having regular eye exams.
Your eye doctor can measure your IOP and examine your optic nerve for damage, spotting the early signs of glaucoma before you experience symptoms. How often should you have eye exams?
If you’re at high risk for glaucoma, you should schedule eye exams annually, if not more often. Your eye doctor can tell you exactly how often you need eye exams, so follow their recommendation.
When diagnosed early, your ophthalmologist at OMNI Eye Specialists can recommend treatment for glaucoma that can significantly slow the eye condition and prevent vision loss for years to come.
How Do You Treat Glaucoma?
The most common treatment for glaucoma is eye drops that lower intraocular pressure. You must take these eye drops daily for them to stay effective.
You may need additional, more intensive treatment as the eye condition progresses. Various procedures can help lower intraocular pressure by creating more drainage channels in the eye, either by making an opening or inserting a small device called a shunt.
Minimally-invasive laser therapy can also treat open-angle glaucoma by shining a laser into the eye that helps clear blockages in the trabecular meshwork. Treatment is most effective when less damage has occurred in the optic nerve.
These treatments can slow damage by lowering intraocular pressure but cannot repair damage. It’s necessary to know your risk for glaucoma and have regular eye exams to ensure an early diagnosis and treatment before experiencing any permanent damage to the optic nerve.
Do you need treatment for glaucoma? Learn more about how to treat glaucoma by requesting your appointment at OMNI Eye Specialists in the greater Baltimore region today!