GLAUCOMA what you need to know...

Health Tips

In today's post I will be talking basically on a group of eye diseases called GLAUCOMA ..in order to have a clear understanding of this topic I will be answering frequently asked questions on the topic Glaucoma..

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GLAUCOMA...

WHAT IS GLAUCOMA ?

Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can damage the eye's optic nerve and result in vision loss and blindness . It is commonly called the ' the thief of sight' or the 'silent blinding disease'.

The optic nerve is a bundle of more than 1 million nerve fibers that carry visual information from the retina to the brain. The retina is the light -sensitives tissue at the back of the eye. A healthy optic nerve is necessary for good vision.

HOW DOES OPEN - ANGLE GLAUCOMA DAMAGE THE OPTIC NERVE?
  In the front of the eye is a space called the anterior chamber . A clear fluid flows continuously in and out of the chamber and nourishes nearby tissues. The fluid leaves the chamber at the open angle where the cornea and iris meet.

When the fluid reaches the angle, it flows away through a special drainage made up of tissue from the eye. Sometimes, when the fluid reaches the angle , it passes too slowly through the meshwork drain. As the fluid builds up, pressure inside the eye rises to a level that may damage the optic nerve . when the optic nerve is damaged from increased pressure, open -angle glaucoma and vision loss may result.
This is why it is important to always ensure that the pressure inside the eye is normal.

DOES INCREASED EYE PRESSURE AUTOMATICALLY MEAN ONE HAS GLAUCOMA?

Not necessarily. Increased eye pressure means one is at risk of developing glaucoma, but does not mean one has the disease . A person has glaucoma only if the optic nerve is damaged. If there is increased eye pressure but no damage to the optic nerve, one does not have glaucoma. However , the person is at risk. Follow the advice of your eye care professional .

Not every person with increased eye pressure will develop glaucoma. Some people can tolerate higher eye pressure better than others. Whether one develops glaucoma depends on the level of pressure one's optic nerve can tolerate without being damaged .This level is different for each person. That's why a comprehensive dilated eye exam is very important. It can help your eye care professional determine what level of eye pressure is normal for you.

CAN ONE DEVELOP GLAUCOMA WITHOUT AN INCREASE IN EYE PRESSURE ?

Yes. Glaucoma can develop without increased eye pressure. This form of glaucoma is called LOW-TENSION OR NORMAL -TENSION GLAUCOMA. It is not as common as open - angle glaucoma.

WHO IS AT RISK FOR OPEN-ANGLE GLAUCOMA?

Anyone can develop glaucoma. Some people are at higher risk than others . They include :
Black people over age 40.
Everyone over age 60.
People with a family history of glaucoma.

A comprehensive dilated eye exam can reveal more risk factors, such as high eye pressure, thinness of the cornea , and abnormal optic nerve anatomy (that is normal referred to as cupped discs). In some people with certain combinations of these high - risk factors, medicines in the form of eye drops reduce the risk of developing glaucoma by about half.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF GLAUCOMA ?

Glaucoma can develop in one or both eyes .At first , open - angle glaucoma has no symptoms ; it causes no pain and vision remains normal . However , as glaucoma remains untreated , people may miss objects to the side and out of the corner of their eye.

*Without treatment , people with glaucoma will slowly lose their peripheral (side) vision. They seem to be looking through a tunnel.
*Over time, straight-ahead vision  may decrease until no vision remains.
*Occasionally, some people may complain of sharp , needle - like pain at the back of the eye .
*Seeing rainbows (colors) around a light bulb.

Like and share this post with your friends.. In my next post I will continue with answering more questions on what you need to know about glaucoma..  Such as how is glaucoma detected , can glaucoma be cured ? E t c...