Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a certain group of conditions that affect the vision of eye. A person must go for an eye test regularly as the risk of developing glaucoma increases with growing age. Glaucoma may cause blindness if left untreated. An early treatment to the disease can prevent further damage to the eyes. Glaucoma affects both the eyes but with varying degrees. There are four main types of glaucoma.

– Chronic glaucoma
– Acute glaucoma
– Secondary glaucoma
– Congenital glaucoma

Chronic glaucoma
It is one of the most common types of glaucoma. It develops very slowly and occurs when the drainage tubes within the eyes get slightly blocked. This prevents proper drainage of aqueous humour.

Acute glaucoma
In this condition angle between iris and sclera narrows down.

Secondary glaucoma
It occurs due to an eye injury or any other eye condition.

Developmental glaucoma
An abnormality of eyeball is the main cause of developmental glaucoma.

Symptoms of glaucoma
Chronic glaucoma: There are generally no symptoms for this type of glaucoma because it develops very slowly.

Acute glaucoma: The symptoms in this case are very severe and include the following
– redness of the eye
-headache
– severe pain
– tender eye area
– hazy vision
– seeing halos around lights

Secondary glaucoma: The symptoms of secondary glaucoma include
– misty vision
– rings or halos around light sources.

Congenital glaucoma: The symptoms for this kind of glaucoma include the following
– sensitivity to light
– having watery eyes
– having large eyes
-the eyes have a cloudy appearance
– squint eyes

Causes

Glaucoma develops when the drainage tubes in the eye are blocked preventing proper drainage of the aqueous humour. An obstruction in the eye may also result in glaucoma.

Other reasons that may lead to glaucoma

– Age: People are likely to get chronic glaucoma with older age.
– Short sightedness: People suffering from short sightedness tend to develop chronic glaucoma.
– Medical history: People with diabetes are more likely to get glaucoma.
– Family history
-Ethnic origin: People of Asian origin have more possibility of getting affected with acute glaucoma while people of African origin tend to develop chronic glaucoma.

Treatment

Glaucoma can be prevented from further development but the damage already caused to the vision cannot be repaired. The treatment for glaucoma involves reducing the pressure in the eye affected by the condition.

Chronic glaucoma: It can be treated using eye drops. Several types of eye drops that may be used include the following

– Beta-blockers
These drops reduce the amount of liquid produced in the eyes. People suffering from asthma or heart disease must not use these eye drops as they may have side effects. These drops must be taken once or twice in a day.

-Alpha agonists: They help in reduction of fluid produced in excess in the eye and also help in improving the fluid flow.

– sss

– Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors

Other treatments include laser treatment and surgery.

Acute glaucoma can be treated with eye drops, systematic medicines, laser treatment and surgery.