What is glaucoma?
Glaucoma is an eye disease that damages the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain. The damage is usually caused by high eye pressure, but not always. Without treatment, it can lead to gradual, permanent vision loss. Since glaucoma can also occur with normal eye pressure, it’s a disease that is difficult to detect early.
There are many types of glaucoma. The most common form is chronic glaucoma, which develops slowly over time. A rarer form is acute glaucoma, which develops quickly and leads to sudden, painful pressure in the eye.
Symptoms
Chronic glaucoma usually doesn’t cause pain, and problems with vision and the field of sight often only appear once the condition is in an advanced stage. This is why it’s important to have regular eye health check-ups.
Acute glaucoma, on the other hand, causes severe eye pain, headaches, nausea, and sudden vision disturbances. Other symptoms include blurry vision and seeing halos around light sources. If you experience these symptoms, contact your doctor immediately, as they can quickly lead to eye damage.
Common Causes
The exact cause of glaucoma is not known, but increased pressure in the eye is a major risk factor. The eyeball is maintained by fluid inside it. If the fluid is not properly drained, pressure builds up within the eye. Glaucoma typically develops when this increased pressure causes damage to the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain and affects your field of vision.
In acute glaucoma, the drainage channels become completely blocked, causing a rapid increase in eye pressure. This sudden high pressure leads to pain and can damage the optic nerve.
Risk Factors for Glaucoma include
Treatment
Permanent damage to the field of vision can be minimized or avoided if glaucoma is detected and treated early. If left untreated, glaucoma can lead to severe, irreversible vision loss.
That’s why it’s important to have regular eye exams with an eye health check-up to detect and treat glaucoma early.
Next Steps
We want to help you maintain sharp vision and keep your eyes healthy for as long as possible. If we detect signs of glaucoma during your eye exam with an eye health check-up, the optometrist will refer you to an eye specialist.
If the eye specialist confirms the diagnosis of glaucoma, they will discuss the following with you:
- How far the condition has progressed
- The level of damage to your eyes
- How glaucoma can affect your daily life
- What may have caused the glaucoma
The eye specialist will also advise you on how to treat glaucoma. In most cases, this involves daily use of eye drops that lower eye pressure, along with regular check-ups. There are also surgical options to treat glaucoma.
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