They’re had been many diseases that can cause serious changes in the way a person leads they’re life. Among eye diseases, Glaucoma had been one of the most considerable. However, they’re are still people who are unaware of what it is, Glaucoma symptoms, and the possible treatments available around.

What is Glaucoma?

Starting with the very beginning will let you have a clearer picture of the situations. Well, Glaucoma is when the optic nerves of you’re eyes are damaged and this tends to worsen with time. It is often due to pressure build-up inside the eyes.

Glaucoma is usually known to be inherited and has a tendency of not showing up until later in life. The increase in intraocular pressure is known to damage the optic nerves who’s task is to transmit image signals to the brain.

As the damage continues, Glaucoma can also lead to permanent loss of vision within a few years. Mostly, no early symptoms or pain is witnessed by the people suffering from Glaucoma. Regular check up is probably the best way to deal with the issue before permanent vision loss.

If you have any family history of this disease than, it is suggestible to go for a complete eye examination within every 2 years. Also, if you are diabetic, than you possibly have the risk of getting this disease. Vision loss caused due to glaucoma cannot be recovered. Therefore, it is important to stay aware and take possible precautions before any severe effects occur.

How is Glaucoma Caused?

Human eye continuously produces a clear fluid known as aqueous humor. As the fluid is made, it fills the front portion of the eye. Than through the channels in the iris and cornea, it leaves the eye. However, the natural eye pressure cannot be released of these channels are obstructed or blocked.

The intraocular pressure or IOP in you’re eyes may increase, damaging the optic nerves. The continuing damage to you’re optic nerves would subsequently lead to complete loss of eyesight. The cause of an increase in the eye pressure is not always known. This may generally include:

• Blocked or obstructed drainage in eyes.
• Dilating eye drops
• Medications like corticosteroids
• Reduced or poor blood flow in the optic nerves
• High blood pressure.

Possible Glaucoma Symptoms

Many a time, Glaucoma does not properly exhibit any special symptoms at the early stages or the right time. They’re could be different types of glaucoma and the symptoms for this disease are known to differ according to they’re type.

They’re are generally two types of glaucoma: Open-angle glaucoma and acute angle closure glaucoma. Let’s have brief look at them.

Open-angle Glaucoma

It is the most common type of glaucoma; doctors often call it wide-angle glaucoma. In this case, the drain structure of you’re eyes which is also called the trabecular meshwork through looks normal the flow of the fluid is not exactly the way it should be.

Symptoms

• Patchy blind spots in you’re central or peripheral (side) vision.
• At advanced stages, they’re may also be the problem of tunnel vision.

Acute Angle-Closure Glaucoma

It is known to be more common in Asia then in the West. It is also known as chronic or narrow-angle glaucoma. The drain space between the iris and cornea gets narrower and you’re eyes do not drain properly due to this reason. This creates an increase in pressure build-up within you’re eyes. It may also relate sometimes to cataract or farsightedness that causes clouding around the lens of you’re eyes.

Symptoms

• Regular severe headache
• Pain in eyes
• Vomiting and Nausea
• Blur Vision
• Eye redness
• Halos around lights

Glaucoma Treatment

You can surely not leave the disease untreated, once it’s diagnosed. Treatment started at the earliest stages can help to delay the progression of the disease and keep away any unwanted effects of the same. Moreover, Glaucoma cannot be cured. Once you lose you’re vision due to the disease it cannot be restored.

The below-mentioned remedies treatments could, however, save the remaining vision from damage.

Medicines

Some of the most common early treatments for glaucoma include eye drops and pills. When taken regularly, these pills and eye drops will help in reducing the pressure created within the eyes. While some medicines cause the eye to create less fluid, the others lower the pressure by helping the eyes to release the fluid.

Before you begin with the glaucoma treatment inform the professionals about other supplements and medicines you take. You still need to be careful as several medicines are known to cause side-effects to people. This may however not be the case for all.

In case the medicine is creating problems for you, you can tell the eye care professional to change the medicine.

Laser Trabeculoplasty

This method could be used to drain the fluid out of your eyes. When you’re getting you’re treatments, the doctor may suggest you for this step anytime. Even after this procedure, you might have to continue taking your Glaucoma medicines.

A light beam of the laser is reflected against the meshwork in you’re eyes, this creates several spaced burns, stretching the drainage holes in the eyes’ meshwork. However, there can be side effects to this including inflammation. Several follow up visits would be required after this to monitor the eye well.

In case you have glaucoma in both the eyes, only one eye would be treated at a time. There would be a gap of several days to several weeks between consecutive laser treatments. The effects of this would, however, wear off with time. Glaucoma prevention is probably the only way to move out from this trouble.

Conventional Surgery

A conventional glaucoma surgery would create a new opening in the eye from where fluids can be released. A conventional surgery generally opts when medicines and laser surgery fail to control pressure in the eyes.

Known as trabeculectomy, this process considers removing several tissues from the eyes with the objective of creating a new channel which can help the fluid drain from the eye. The fluid than drains between the tissue layers in the eye, creating a blister-like “Filtration Belb”.

After the surgery, you would be prescribed several medicinal drops to avoid infection and inflammation. Conventional surgery is also performed for one eye at a time.

At lower eye pressure, conventional surgery is known to be 60 to 80 percent effective. You may also need a second surgery in case the opening narrows. If you have never had any other eye surgeries, conventional surgeries would work the best.

They’re are however many risks involved in getting a conventional surgery done. You will have to consider many important points with you’re specialist in order to get the best possible outcomes of it. The processes may be carried on considering the chances of side-effects and than conditions of Glaucoma.

Glaucoma Prevention

Prevention is though not actually possible for this disease you can opt some self-care tips to ensure better health of you’re eyes. Here are some of them:

Regular eye care

Comprehensive eye check-ups regularly could help in the timely detection of glaucoma and let you start the treatment before any irreversible damages occur. Regular eye examinations at an interval of four years are suggestible once you’ve reached the age of 40.

Also, once you reach 65, these checkups should be done at an interval of two years. In case you are at a higher risk of glaucoma, you may require more frequent screening. Consult you’re specialist and set the correct screening schedule.

• Know you’re family’s vision of health and history

Glaucoma is usually known to be inherited and tends to run through families. You need to know if you are at a higher risk.

• Moderate Exercises

Moderate exercises are done regularly, help in reducing eye pressure and prevent glaucoma. You can set up a perfect exercise program under the guidance of you’re doctor.

• Prescribed Eye Drops

Your a doctor would surely tell you to use several eye drops. You need to be sure to use them regularly and in the best manner. High eye pressure could certainly be reduced, with the use of the prescribed eye drops. You should choose to use these eye drops even if you haven’t witnessed any symptoms yet. You are not waiting for any after all.

• Wear Eye Protection

Glaucoma can also be caused by serious eye injuries. Therefore, wearing eye protection while doing various activities like playing high-speed racket sports, using power tools, etc. could help you much to prevent any such disease from making its place in you’re eyes.

Glaucoma is a serious disease and can cause the greatest loss, the loss of eyesight. With hardly any cure or prevention, the only way to tackle this disease is regular checkup and staying aware of you’re eye health. The above-mentioned points and Glaucoma symptoms would surely guide you well in dealing with the disease. You, however, need to consult your doctor regularly.