Learn the causes of Glaucoma and prevent vision loss with early detection and treatment.
What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a family of eye diseases that occur slowly and cause irreversible damage to the optic nerve, resulting in permanent blindness. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world. There are several types of glaucoma with varying speeds of onset and intensity of damage. While it can’t be cured, glaucoma can be managed with continual medication and minor surgeries to alleviate pressure. There are only a few symptoms indicating glaucoma before blindness starts to occur, such as headache, eye pain, or blurred vision.
What Causes Glaucoma?
In a healthy eye, fluid is constantly filtering through to keep the eye hydrated and functioning. This fluid drains through a network of mesh-like channels on the outer edge of the iris. When the channel is blocked, fluid is unable to drain. The resulting build up increases pressure on the optic nerve, ultimately causing permanent damage to nerve endings.
What are the types of Glaucoma?
The most common type of glaucoma in America is Open Angle Glaucoma, caused by fluid drain blockage as described previously. It tends to run in families and show up later in life. The onset occurs so slowly damage may occur before you’re aware there’s a problem.
Angle Closure Glaucoma is also caused by increased eye pressure due to a blockage. This blockage is by the iris rather than a clog in the meshwork. As people age the lens in the eye may enlarge, pushing the iris forward and block the draining of fluid. There are two types of Angle Closure Glaucoma; Chronic and Acute. The main difference is in the speed of development. Chronic Angle Closure develops slowly, whereas Acute Angle Closureoccurs so swiftly it’s considered a medical emergency.
Acute Angle Closure can be caused by a drastic dilation of the pupils, which pushes the iris out of place to block drainage. It’s normal for your pupils to dilate when you are in a dark room, stressed, or excited. However, the pupil’s have to dilate much more than usual to cause an attack. There are also a number of drugs that can cause an attack to occur, such as certain antidepressants and antihistamines. You have a higher risk for Acute Angle Closure if you are Asian or Inuit, farsighted, above the age of 55, or on certain medications.Unlike Chronic Angle Closure and Open Angle Glaucoma, patients with Acute Angle Closure can immediately feel the glaucoma occuring. Symptoms include intense pain, vomiting, blurry vision, and halos around lights.
Preventing Glaucoma
There is no guaranteed wayo avoid glaucoma but there are ways to minimize the likelihood of one advancing to the point of blindness.- See your eye doctor regularly. Catching glaucoma early can entirely prevent vision loss. If you’re over the age of 40, you should see your eye doctor at least every 4 years. If you’re over 60, increase to at least every 2 years.
- Use eye protection. An external injury to the eye can trigger a glaucoma. Use protective eyewear when engaging in higher risk activities such as high intensity sports or using construction equipment.
- Wear sunglasses to filter UV light. Prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light can cause many eye conditions, include glaucoma and cataract. Wearing sunglasses can filter out 99-100% of UV light and minimize glare.
Who is at risk for Glaucoma?
While glaucoma can happen to anyone, some are at higher risk than others. If any of these apply to you, schedule an appointment with your doctor to discuss your risk of developing a glaucoma.
- You have a family history of glaucoma. Glaucoma is highly hereditary, if anyone in your family has had a glaucoma or any type of high eye pressure be sure to inform your doctor.
- You are over the age of 60. While there have been cases of glaucoma occuring in younger people, the vast majority have been seniors.
- You have a high sensitivity to glare from lights.
- You have prolonged, unprotected exposure to UV rays.
- You have had an eye injury in the past. Eye injuries can trigger the onset of glaucoma.
- You have diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, or early estrogen deficiency.
- You have taken corticosteroid eye drops for an extended period of time.
- You are of Hispanic or African American descent.
Glaucoma can be managed effectively with little hassle thanks to advancements in modern medicine. Drops are prescribed to regulate fluid creation and to alleviate pressure by keeping the drainage channel clear. There are several surgeries available to assist in decreasing pressure, such as AbiC, SLT, iStent and others. As seen in the video above, some of these surgeries can be combined with cataract surgery to address multiple conditions at once.
Do any of the risk factors listed about apply to you? Schedule a consult today to determine your risk for glaucoma.
