Glaucoma is an eye condition that can gradually decrease vision, sometimes without even being noticed. Keep reading to learn about some facts about glaucoma and if it can steal your eyesight!
1. There is No Cure for Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a chronic eye condition. However, it is manageable with medication and early diagnosis.
Your eye doctor will monitor the progression of glaucoma in your eyes and prescribe treatment to help prevent further damage.
2. Any Damage to Your Sight by Glaucoma is Permanent
In many types of glaucoma, there is a higher-than-normal pressure in your eye, leading to optic nerve damage. The optic nerve has the vital function of delivering information from your eye to your brain so it can create images for you to see.
There is no way to repair the optic nerve once there is damage to it. Any vision lost to glaucoma during its progression is permanently lost.
3. Glaucoma is Silent
Most people do not detect vision changes from most types of glaucoma on their own. The loss of vision is often so slow that you will have already lost a significant portion of your eyesight by the time you notice something is off.
Glaucoma will typically impact the peripheral vision first. Peripheral vision is what you can see out of the corner of your eyes.
Many people with glaucoma compensate for this loss of sight by turning their heads without even realizing they’re doing it.
4. There are Multiple Types of Glaucoma
Open-angle glaucoma is the most prevalent form of glaucoma, but it is not the only type. Open-angle glaucoma is caused by a slow down in the drainage system in your eye, causing a subtle yet persistent increase in intraocular pressure.
Acute angle-closure glaucoma is another type of glaucoma. This form of glaucoma occurs when the drainage system is completely obstructed, causing the eye pressure to skyrocket.
Since angle-closure glaucoma is often sudden and abrupt, it can show symptoms such as eye pain, severe headache, and nausea. Vision loss is also rapid instead of slow, making acute angle-closure glaucoma a medical emergency.
Normal-tension glaucoma is also a type of glaucoma. In normal-tension glaucoma, you have an eye pressure that falls in the normal range, but you still have damage to the optic nerve.
Normal-tension glaucoma functions like open-angle glaucoma as its vision damage is slow and gradual. Normal-tension glaucoma is often harder to diagnose because since the eye pressure is within normal range, it does not serve as a red flag to eye doctors.
5. Glaucoma is Treatable
Although glaucoma is irreversible, the good news is that it’s often treatable and manageable. Using medicated eye drops, you can lower the pressure in your eyes to safe levels, preventing further vision loss.
These medicated eye drops work either by increasing the outflow of the fluid or by reducing the amount of fluid produced. Both of these options will help reduce the eye pressure.
Glaucoma medication has to be taken diligently and continuously to be effective. Surgery can help lower eye pressure in severe glaucoma cases, but these patients often need to continue using drops after the procedure.
The best way to prevent glaucoma from creating lasting damage to your vision is by going to regular eye appointments so your eye doctor can monitor any changes happening in your eyes.
Are you interested in learning more about glaucoma’s effect on your vision? Schedule an appointment at Stahl Eyecare Experts in Garden City, NY, today!
