GLAUCOMA TREATMENT AT KMN EYECARE: WHAT IS GLAUCOMA?

Glaucoma is an eye disease that damages the eye’s optic nerve. The optic nerve can be imagined as an electric cable that contains millions of wires, each wire carrying an image from the retina to the brain through the light-sensitive optic nerve. Changes or damage to the optic nerve thus affect vision.

Glaucoma is usually characterized by increased eye pressure as a result of an imbalance between fluid production inside the eye and excretion from the eye, or a buildup of fluid inside the eye. This could result in permanent optic nerve damage and peripheral vision loss, which can lead to blindness.

About 20% of glaucoma patients may experience normal eye pressure, which is known as “normal tension glaucoma.” Therefore, the diagnosis of glaucoma is not just based on eye pressure itself, but consists of the careful evaluation of the optic nerve and other eye structures. Eye pressure, circulation, and anatomy of the eye relate to damages that occur in glaucoma. Glaucoma diagnosis thus requires a dilated exam and other tests including visual field testing, nerve fiber layer analysis, optic nerve photography, examination of the trabecular meshwork with a special contact lens (gonioscopy), and corneal thickness measurement (pachymetry).

Glaucoma is the second leading cause for irreversible blindness in the world, after cataracts. Vision loss due to glaucoma cannot be reversed but can be managed. Glaucoma patients are generally unaware of any vision impairment until the disease is at an advanced stage. It is estimated that around 50% of glaucoma patients are unaware that they suffer from glaucoma. It is suggested that everyone over the age of 50 is screened for glaucoma.

Because the vision impairment caused by glaucoma cannot be reversed, detection, diagnosis, and management must ideally be done as early as possible. For additional information, contact your ophthalmologist or visit KMN EyeCare.

Glaucoma is caused by failure of the eye to keep an appropriate balance between the amount of fluid being produced inside the eye and the amount of the fluid that is drained out of the eye.

Eyes continuously produce a clear liquid called “aqueous humor.” The aqueous humor flows from the back chamber of the eye to the front chamber of the eye, which results in a pressure that shapes the eye and thus determines one’s vision. If there is any blockage of the flow or the flow can not be maintained, the liquid will begin to build up, increasing the pressure inside of the eye. Increasing pressure then pushes on the optic nerve, damaging it permanently. If the optic nerve suffers damage, the patient is diagnosed with glaucoma.

Glaucoma is known as the “silent thief of sight“, as it is a gradual disease with unrecognizable symptoms until the disease has reached an advanced stage.

There are two types of glaucoma: Open Angle Glaucoma and Closed Angle Glaucoma.

Open angle glaucoma is the most common form of glaucoma, caused by the imbalance of liquid production and its excretion from the eye. Closed angle glaucoma is caused by blockage of the liquid flow inside of the eye.

If the glaucoma is chronic in both types, there are no symptoms, yet the peripheral visual field loss would be gradual and lead to tunnel vision.

In acute closed angle glaucoma, the symptoms could be:

• severe pain and headache
• nausea
• blurry vision
• redness of the eye
• halos around light

Open and closed angle glaucoma may be caused by other conditions such as inflammation, use of medications, trauma of the eye, cataract, or systemic diseases.

Glaucoma may also be found in infants at the time of birth.

Symptoms of glaucoma at birth include enlargement of the eye, bulging eyes, hazy corneas, and sensitivity to light.