Glaucoma: How to Recognize and How to Treat

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

If you ignore the symptoms, you can go blind forever.

What is glaucoma and where does it come from

Glaucoma is a chronic condition in which the optic nerve that transmits images to the brain is damaged. What Is Glaucoma? due to high eye pressure. It increases when the ocular fluid accumulates in the front of the eye. If left untreated, it can lead to complete blindness.

According to the WHO, Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness globally, glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide.

Because of what the disease appears, it is difficult to establish. But the UK's NHS has identified several risk factors for Glaucoma.

• Age. The older you are, the more likely you are to get sick. Especially after 50 years.
• Ethnicity. The disease is known to occur more frequently in Africans, Hispanics, and Asians.
• Genetics. If someone in your family already has glaucoma, the risk increases.
• Other diseases and disorders, including hyperopia, myopia, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, eye injuries.

What are the symptoms of glaucoma

Signs differ depending on the type and stage of the disease. Common Symptoms of What Is Glaucoma? are as follows:

• deterioration of vision;
• redness of the eyes;
• Pain in the eyes;
• the appearance of rainbow circles when looking at light;
• spots and fog in the eyes;
• tunnel vision - loss of peripheral vision.

See what an eye with glaucoma looks like Close

What are the types of glaucoma

Open angle glaucoma

The most common type: Types of Glaucoma develops in 90% of all glaucoma patients. It is difficult to recognize it at an early stage - the disease can slowly and imperceptibly progress over several years. And most of the signs, except for visual impairment, appear already in the later stages.

Acute angle-closure glaucoma

Symptoms of this type, on the other hand, appear abruptly. They are very noticeable and progress quickly, often accompanied by nausea and vomiting. In this case, it is impossible to delay: in acute angle-closure glaucoma, the patient needs urgent medical attention.

Normal pressure glaucoma

This is a type of disease in which the optic nerve is damaged not due to high intraocular pressure, but for an unknown reason. Experts suggest Glaucoma that the cause is a high sensitivity of the nerve or a deterioration in blood circulation.

Congenital glaucoma

A rare disease that can be inherited. Appears in children due to improper or incomplete development of the drainage channels of the eye.

When to see a doctor

Any signs of the above are a reason to immediately visit an ophthalmologist. Otherwise, you can lose your eyesight.

Alexander Kulik ophthalmologist-surgeon, candidate of medical sciences, doctor of higher qualifications, consultant "Teledoktor24"

After 40 years, it is imperative to measure eye pressure once a year.

If you suddenly lose peripheral vision and feel nauseous, call the ambulance at 103 or 112.

How to treat glaucoma

It is impossible to regain lost vision, you can only stop its deterioration.

Constant monitoring of eye pressure and regular monitoring by an ophthalmologist will help preserve vision for many years.

Alexander Kulik ophthalmologist-surgeon

There are several treatment options. Which one is right for you depends on the type of glaucoma and the neglect of the disease.

Eye drops

There are a lot of them, but the essence of the action is the same: they maintain normal eye pressure.

In no case do not prescribe yourself drops for glaucoma on your own. Some patients need more than one medication at once. Therefore, only a doctor can pick them up. Usually drops are used 1-2 times a day, but the doctor will determine the exact schedule.

Here's how to apply Eye Drop Tips medicine:

• Sitting, standing or lying, tilt your head back.
• Gently pull the lower eyelid with your index finger to form a pocket.
• Look up and hold the bottle over your eye without touching it. Place the correct amount of liquid in the pocket. Do not blink or touch with your hands.
• Close your eyes and sit for three minutes.
• Press gently on the inner corner of the eye above the eyelid. Hold your finger in this position for a minute. This will increase the effectiveness of the drug.

If you use several products at the same time, after each instillation, wait for Glaucoma for at least five minutes before proceeding to the next one.

Neuroprotective treatment

These are courses of injections under the eyes and intramuscularly. The doctor must give injections. Neuroprotective agents protect the retina and prevent cell damage.

Laser treatment

They switch to such therapy when drops and injections do not help. For open-angle and closed-angle glaucoma, different methods are used. In the first case, it is trabeculoplasty, in the second, iridectomy. Treatment is carried out without general anesthesia, using only local anesthetic for the eyes.

Unfortunately, the laser is not a panacea: sometimes vision continues to deteriorate.

Surgery

There are several types of operations, the doctor will select the appropriate option.

After the operation, the doctor will prescribe examinations and possibly additional procedures for you. During the first two weeks, vision may be blurry, but then should return to normal.

What can be done at home

Of course, you cannot cure such a serious disease on your own. But you can try to control your eye pressure.

Here's how to do it Glaucoma:

• Eat healthy foods. Adequate nutrition will provide the body with all the essential nutrients and vitamins that are important for eye health. Especially lean on foods that contain zinc, copper, selenium, vitamins C, E, and A. These are nuts, spinach, pumpkin seeds, mushrooms, liver, rose hips, citrus fruits, vegetable oils.
• Exercise if you have open-angle glaucoma. Regular physical activity can reduce How to Slow Glaucoma Progression eye pressure. But you definitely need a training plan agreed with your doctor. Not all exercises can be done for glaucoma. For example, any tilting of the head should be avoided.
• Skip coffee. It can increase the Effect of caffeine on the intraocular pressure in patients with primary open angle glaucoma pressure.
• Don't drink too much fluids at a time. Do this gradually - throughout the day, not in one fell swoop.
• Avoid direct sunlight, do not go to the solarium. Exposure to ultraviolet light increases the Summertime Tips risk of developing eye diseases.