Did you know that glaucoma is often called ‘the silent thief of sight’? This is because most people with the condition don’t experience any symptoms until irreversible vision damage has been done.
However, early diagnosis and prompt treatment can help stop its progression and preserve your vision. Keep reading to learn more about what causes glaucoma and how it can be treated.
What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma refers to a group of eye conditions that damage your optic nerve. The optic nerve carries images from your retina to your brain, enabling you to see.
Significant enough damage to the optic nerve can impair your vision or even cause blindness, making early diagnosis and treatment vital for preserving your eyesight.
What Causes Glaucoma?
While anyone can get glaucoma, various risk factors can make you more likely to develop it, including:
- High eye pressure
- Being over age 55
- Family history of glaucoma
- Past eye injuries
- Corneas with thin centers
- Narrow drainage angles
- Extreme nearsightedness or farsightedness
- Long-term use of corticosteroid medications
- Being of Asian, Hispanic, or African heritage
- Certain medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, sickle cell anemia, or migraines
If you have one or more of these risk factors, it is essential to stay up-to-date on your eye exams to ensure any signs of glaucoma are detected as early as possible. The cause of your glaucoma will also depend on which form of the condition you have.
There are various kinds of glaucoma, including:
Open-Angle Glaucoma
Open-angle glaucoma is the most common form of the condition. It occurs when aqueous humor does not drain out of the front of your eye as well as it should, which raises eye pressure.
Your eye continuously produces a fluid called aqueous humor. Usually, as new fluid enters your eye, an equal amount leaves through the drainage angle where your cornea and iris meet.
This ensures your eye pressure or intraocular pressure (IOP) remains stable. However, in open-angle glaucoma, blockages in the trabecular meshwork of the drainage angle cause aqueous humor to accumulate.
This fluid buildup can increase pressure inside your eye and gradually damage the optic nerve. Most patients experience no symptoms with open-angle glaucoma until vision damage has already occurred.
Angle-Closure Glaucoma
In angle-closure glaucoma, your iris partially or completely blocks off the drainage angle. With nowhere to go, aqueous humor builds up in your eye, causing a rise in intraocular pressure.
If your drainage angle becomes completely blocked, you can have an acute angle-closure glaucoma attack, where eye pressure spikes abruptly. Symptoms tend to come on suddenly in an acute angle-closure attack, and can include:
- Intense eye pain
- Severe headache
- Blurred vision
- Eye redness
- Seeing halos or rainbows around lights
- Nausea or vomiting
While less common, this form of glaucoma is considered a medical emergency and requires prompt treatment to prevent irreparable vision loss and blindness.
Secondary Glaucoma
Sometimes, glaucoma can occur as a side effect of medication, a result of trauma, or due to an underlying medical or eye condition. This is called secondary glaucoma.
Common causes of secondary glaucoma include advanced cataracts, inflammation, eye injuries, steroids, and diabetes.
Normal-Tension Glaucoma
Some people still develop glaucoma even when their eye pressure is within normal ranges. This is referred to as normal-tension glaucoma.
While no one knows exactly what causes normal-tension glaucoma, it may be due to limited blood flow to the optic nerve or optic nerve sensitivity.
How is Glaucoma Diagnosed and Treated?
Most cases of glaucoma have no symptoms until you’ve already suffered considerable vision loss. That’s why frequent eye exams are critical for catching glaucoma early.
They can help your eye doctor detect the condition even before you experience any vision changes. During a glaucoma screening, your ophthalmologist will do the following:
- Test your side or peripheral vision
- Examine the back of your eye
- Measure your intraocular pressure
- Measure the thickness of your corneas
- Inspect your optic nerve for any signs of damage
If detected, they may offer various treatment options depending on the severity and type of your condition, including eye drops, oral medications, or selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT). All of these treatments work by lowering your intraocular pressure and stabilizing it to prevent more damage to the optic nerve.
Protect Your Eyes from Glaucoma
Your best defense against glaucoma is getting regular eye exams at Stahl Eyecare Experts. When glaucoma is detected early, our specialists can recommend effective treatments to delay its progression and preserve your vision.
Put your eyesight first when you schedule an appointment with Stahl Eyecare Experts in Manhattan, NY, today!
