Glaucoma Symptoms, Risk Factors & Treatment | Diseases List A-Z

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve.

The function of the optic nerve is to send visual information from the eye to the brain to maximize vision.

Optic nerve damage is often associated with high pressure in the eye.

But this condition can occur even with normal eye pressure.

This eye condition can occur at any age but is more common in older adults.

This condition is one of the leading causes of blindness for people over 60 years of age.

Many types of these conditions also have no warning signs.

The effects are so gradual that sufferers may not notice any changes in vision until the condition is in a later stage.

Therefore, it is important to have regular eye examinations that include measuring eye pressure.

The reason is, if this eye condition is detected early, you can slow down or prevent the risk of losing vision.

Symptoms of Glaucoma

The following are common symptoms of glaucoma that sufferers of this condition experience:

• Pain in the eyes.
• Headache.
• Seeing circular shadows in the eyes when looking at surrounding light.
• Red eyes.
• Nausea or vomiting.
• Cloudy eyes (especially in babies).
• Vision increasingly narrows until finally you cannot see objects at all.

Glaucoma Risk Factors

Because chronic forms of glaucoma can damage vision even before symptoms appear, it is important for someone with the following risk factors for glaucoma to be more aware of this eye disorder.

The following are risk factors for someone experiencing this condition:

• Over 60 years old.
• Having a family history of this eye disease.
• Having certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and sickle cell anemia.
• Experiencing nearsightedness or farsightedness.
• Have had an eye injury or certain types of eye surgery.
• Using corticosteroid medications, especially eye drops, for a long time.

Causes of Glaucoma

The main cause of glaucoma is increased pressure in the eye (intraocular pressure).

This pressure can increase either due to excessive production of eye fluid or due to blockage of the eye’s fluid drainage channels.

This pressure can damage the nerve fibers of the retina, which is the nerve tissue that lines the back of the eye, and the optic nerve that connects the eye to the brain.

Unfortunately, it is currently unclear why the eye produces too much fluid or why the drainage channels become blocked.

Types of Glaucoma

This condition is divided into several types, namely:

1. Closed-angle glaucoma

This type is more common in Asian countries.

In this case, the iris bulges forward and narrows or blocks the drainage angle formed by the cornea and iris.

As a result, fluid cannot flow properly through the eye, and pressure increases.

2. Open-angle

In this condition, the structure of the eye appears normal, but there is a disturbance in the trabecular meshwork of the eye.

This causes pressure in the eye to gradually increase which leads to damage to the optic nerve.

This type occurs so slowly that sufferers often realize it too late.

3. Secondary glaucoma

This is the type that occurs due to inflammation of the middle layer of the eye (uveitis) or injury to the eye.

4. Congenital

It is a condition that occurs due to abnormalities in the eye (congenital condition). Congenital glaucoma generally affects children.

Glaucoma Diagnosis

This condition is usually detected during a routine eye exam, often before it causes any noticeable symptoms.

Other tests are usually needed afterward to diagnose and monitor the condition.

If the doctor suspects this eye disorder, the doctor will review the patient’s medical history and perform a comprehensive eye exam.

Here are some tests that a doctor can do to diagnose it:

• Measuring intraocular pressure (tonometry).
• Testing the extent of optic nerve damage with an eye exam and imaging tests.
• Check for areas of vision loss (visual field test).
• Measuring corneal thickness ( pachymetry ).
• Checking the drainage angle (gonioscopy).

Can Glaucoma Be Cured?

The eye damage that occurs due to this eye condition cannot be cured.

But treatment and regular checkups can help slow or prevent vision loss.

Especially if a person is affected by this disease in the early stages.

Glaucoma treatment focuses on lowering the eye’s intraocular pressure.

Here are some treatment options:

1. Eye Drops

Doctors may prescribe eye drops to treat this condition.

Prescription eye drops may include:

• Prostaglandins. These medications increase the outflow of eye fluid to help reduce eye pressure.
• Beta-blocker eye drops. The purpose of this medication is to reduce the production of eye fluid and help lower eye pressure.

2. Oral Medication

Eye drops alone may not lower eye pressure to appropriate levels.

Therefore, your eye doctor may also prescribe oral medications. These medications are usually carbonic anhydrase inhibitors.

Possible side effects include frequent urination, tingling in the fingers and toes, depression, upset stomach, and kidney stones.

3. Surgery and Other Therapies

Other treatment options include laser therapy and surgery.

Here are some procedures that can help drain fluid in the eye and lower eye pressure:

• Laser therapy. Laser trabeculoplasty is an option if eye drops and oral medications are ineffective. In the procedure, an eye doctor uses a small laser to improve the drainage of tissue located at the angle where the iris and cornea meet.
• Trabeculectomy filtering surgery. In the procedure, the eye surgeon will make an opening in the white part of the eye or sclera. This surgery aims to create another path for eye fluid to flow more easily out of the eye.
• Drainage tube. In this procedure, an eye surgeon inserts a small tube into the eye to drain excess fluid to lower eye pressure.
• Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS). This procedure generally carries fewer risks than trabeculectomy or using a drainage device.

In addition, there are several foods that sufferers need to avoid.

Glaucoma Prevention

There are steps you can take to detect glaucoma early.

Knowing these steps is very important to prevent vision loss or to slow its progression.

So, what are the preventive measures? Here’s what you can do:

• Maintain eye health from the start by consuming foods containing vitamin A.
• Routine eye health checks so that eye problems such as glaucoma can be diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible. The time period that experts recommend for doing eye tests is at least every 2 years.
• Use eye drops prescribed by your doctor regularly. Glaucoma eye drops can significantly reduce the risk of high eye pressure developing into glaucoma.
• Serious eye injuries can lead to glaucoma, so wear eye protection when playing sports or working with power tools.

Glaucoma Complications

Glaucoma can cause complications depending on age and other problems, such as eye trauma.

Childhood glaucoma

Children who have glaucoma may not have any symptoms.

It’s just that they can develop different symptoms than adults with glaucoma.

Pediatric glaucoma can cause:

• Sensitivity to light.
• The cornea blurs and turns gray.
• Enlargement of the eyes, which may be visible in photographs before the condition is diagnosed.
• Excessive corneal tearing.
• Loss of vision.

In addition to eye-related symptoms, some children may experience associated systemic symptoms.

Children may become very fussy, lose their appetite, or vomit.

These symptoms are related to angle closure and may resolve once the eye pressure is reduced.

Traumatic glaucoma

Anyone can experience trauma-related glaucoma, but it most commonly occurs during sports injuries when the eye is involved.

Blunt trauma can cause bleeding in the eye.

Plasma and other debris can block the eye’s drainage system and cause increased eye pressure.

You need to be aware that trauma can cause angle recession glaucoma, which is a tear in the space between the iris and the cornea, which results in scar tissue and eventually causes glaucoma.

It is important to mention a history of trauma to the ophthalmologist because traumatic glaucoma can occur even 10 to 20 years later or more.

It usually doesn’t cause symptoms until you lose your vision, when it’s too late to treat.

Some signs you should pay attention to are:

• Pain in the eyebrows that feels intense.
• Nauseous.
• Vomit.
• Sudden loss of vision.

Untreated glaucoma can cause complications of permanent vision loss or blindness.

Treatment measures can slow additional vision loss.

But it cannot restore vision that has been lost.