Glaucoma happens when the fluid pressure in the eye rises. Glaucoma is a group of diseases that can cause damage to the optic nerve in the eye and can cause loss of vision or blindness and is the second leading cause for blindness in the world. Medication and surgery are two options for glaucoma as there is no cure for glaucoma. There are two categories that glaucoma falls under and they are Open Angle Glaucoma and Closed Angle Glaucoma.
Open angle glaucoma is the most common out of glaucoma’s and affect approximately 3 million people. With open angle glaucoma, many people will not experience any symptoms until they start to lose their eye sight and start to lose their peripheral vision, also known as tunnel vision. With open angle glaucoma, the normal fluid in the inner eye is unable to drain correctly, therefore, clogging the drainage canals.
Closed angle glaucoma, or acute glaucoma, is a rare form of glaucoma and unlike the open angle glaucoma where the pressure rises slowly, closed angle glaucoma pressure tends to rise quickly. The iris of the eye does not fully open as wide as it should. If you should happen to have closed angle glaucoma, some of the symptoms that you may experience are: eye pain, headaches, nausea, blurred vision and visions of rainbows around lights at night. Seeking treatment for close angle glaucoma may involve surgery to remove a small part of the outer edge of the iris which will help unblock the drainage canals.
Although anyone can develop glaucoma, there are people who are at higher risks. Those who are at a higher risk are those who are African Americans, people over 60 years of age, Hispanics who are in the 60 year age range, people who have a family history of glaucoma and those who have had eye injuries. With eye injuries, those who have had trauma, such as a hit to the eye, can damage the drainage canals. 60 year olds are six times likely to develop glaucoma and four to nine times more likely if you have a family history.
If you have open angle glaucoma, most people will not lose their vision with proper care although glaucoma has no cure. Regular doctor visits should be a priority. With closed angle glaucoma, or angle closure glaucoma, immediate attention is of the utmost importance when it comes to saving your vision. Knowing the symptoms of glaucoma can help save your vision and prevent further damage.
Regular eye visits to your optometrist is very important to protect your vision. 40 year olds should get their vision checked every two to four years to where 55 to 65 year olds should get their vision checked every year or two. And if you are over the age 65, every six to twelve months is the suggested time to get tested. Of course if you fall in the high risk for glaucoma, you should have your eyes checked more often, especially after the age of 35.
