Glaucoma is a condition caused by too much fluid pressure building up in the eye. This pressure is known as intraocular pressure and can damage the optic nerve — the one responsible for transmitting images from the eyes to the brain. Without treatment, glaucoma can eventually lead to permanent blindness within just a few years.
What makes the intraocular pressure increase? In a normal, healthy eye, the fluid inside flows out through a mesh-like opening. If the mesh becomes blocked, the fluid will start to build up. Doctors aren’t sure why the mesh becomes blocked; occasionally it can be caused by a trauma, severe infection, or chemical injury. More often than not, it just happens.
Family history is a major factor in glaucoma risk. If you have a family history of glaucoma, you should see your eye doctor for a complete checkup every one to two years. Diabetes can also increase your risk of developing glaucoma. Age is a third risk factor; people over the age of forty are more likely to get glaucoma, though it can develop at any age.
In the early stages of glaucoma, you may have few or no symptoms or pain. The first sign of a problem may be a loss of peripheral vision. Other symptoms can develop over time and may include:
- Seeing halos around lights
- Narrowing of vision (also known as tunnel vision)
- Blurred vision
- Vision loss
- Sudden eye pain
- Redness in the eye
- Haze in the eye
- Headache
- Nausea or vomiting
If you’ve had a “puff test” during an eye exam, you have already been tested for glaucoma. There are several different tests that can check eye pressure and vision loss.
There are three different ways to treat glaucoma. Eye drops can reduce the production of fluid in the eye or help increase the outflow. Laser surgery can help eliminate blockage in certain types of glaucoma. Another surgical option called microsurgery creates a new channel for fluid drainage. Vision loss from glaucoma is irreversible, but lowering eye fluid pressure can prevent further vision loss.
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