Glaucoma : The Silent Thief of Sight

Glaucoma is a serious eye condition that may cause severe issues like blindness. Many people do not know about this issue because it does not have any early signs. This is an eye issue which is caused because of the high pressure created on the eye. This pressure damages the optic nerve and if this continues it may further lead to severe issues like poor multiple sclerosis, disturbance in blood flow or even stroke.

Patient may not notice any change in vision in initial stages and thus they ignore partial conditions. Further, when problem exceeds vision gets affected. If left untreated, issues of complete blindness may persist.

Risk Factors Of Glaucoma:

• Age
• Intraocular Pressure (IOP)
• Family history of glaucoma
• African- or Spanish-American ancestry
• Prior eye injury
• Less central corneal thickness
• Farsightedness or nearsightedness
• Systemic health problems such as steroid medication, migraines or poor circulation

Types of Glaucoma

There can be two types of Glaucoma:

Narrow-Angle Glaucoma

This is a condition which a patient may face all of a sudden. In this, the iris shifts to cause blockage in internal eye structure. In this condition, iris is pushed or pulled forward which may create pressure on eye internal structure. This may cause damage to optical nerve. The early symptoms of this issue include eye pain, headaches, red eyes, nausea, vision loss, dilated pupils and vomiting.

Open-Angle Glaucoma

This is an issue which can’t be easily noticed. In this, the angle between the iris and cornea remain to be wide and open as normal but the eye drainage canal gets clogged. This is the problem that occurs over time and then may lead to creating subsequent internal eye pressure. This increased pressure may damage the optic nerve. This issue has no symptoms and the patient may not feel any change in vision but it must be treated at right time to avoid further eye damage.

Treatment of Glaucoma

Eye specialist may suggest relevant Glaucoma treatment as per condition and this may include medications, laser treatment or surgery.