Glaucoma is a condition of the eye where fluid builds up at the corner of the eye might damage the vision of your eye. January is regarded as Glaucoma Awareness month, and it is important to understand about Glaucoma, how to diagnose it, and what the Glaucoma treatment involves.
In this blog post, let us understand Glaucoma treatment options: what you need to know. Let us begin by knowing what Glaucoma is.
What Is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a term for a number of eye diseases that lead to the pressure build-up inside your eyeball, and damage delicate, sensitive parts at the back of your eye. After a period of time the condition may become worse and lead to permanent loss of vision and blindness.
Luckily, glaucoma treatment is available for patients suffering from Glaucoma problems. With proper care, you can delay or prevent permanent vision loss.
Symptoms And Causes Of Glaucoma
At the beginning stage, Glaucoma doesn’t show any symptoms. The symptoms only occur when it starts to cause severe damage.
The common symptoms are eye pain or pressure, headaches, red or bloodshot eyes, double vision or blurred vision, development of low vision, development of blind spots, visual field defects (scotomas), or tunnel vision. The emergency symptoms include blood gathering in front of your iris (hyphema), bulging or enlarged eyeballs (buphthalmos), Nausea and vomiting, rainbow-coloured halos can be seen around lights, sudden appearance or increase in floaters (miodesopsias), sudden vision loss, sudden seeing of flashing lights, photopsia in vision.
Causes Of Glaucoma
Glaucoma occurs when your optic nerve is damaged. Though there is no specific cause for Glaucoma, many other factors can lead to this condition. The main factor being intraocular eye pressure.
The resistance in your drainage canal gets increases. As it blocks the drainage canal, the fluid has no place to escape and starts building up in your eye. This pressurizes your eye and damages the optic nerve, thereby leading to Glaucoma.
Glaucoma Treatment Options
The best option for Glaucoma treatment is to stop it from being worse and treat it at the earliest.
The most common Glaucoma treatment methods include:
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Medications:
Using medications that reduce the pressure inside your eyes is one of the best ways in Glaucoma. Using eye drops or oral medicines will help reduce the intraocular pressure buildup.
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Surgery:
Surgeries help in the flow of fluid to reduce the pressure inside your eye. You can go for an eye surgery including trabeculectomy, tube shunts, laser therapy, and minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries (MIGS).
There are other Glaucoma treatments also available based on the type of Glaucoma, its effect on your eyes, and other factors. Your eye specialist can suggest a possible treatment option based on the severity of the condition and help you choose the one that suits you.
How To Prevent Glaucoma?
It is better to diagnose and treat it at the earlier stages. This helps you manage the pressure inside your eyes and prevent or delay vision loss. The prevention methods include:
- Regular eye checkups
- Managing ocular hypertension
- Managing and understanding your risk factors
Conclusion
Glaucoma is becoming a major cause of blindness among many people. But if treated early, you can prevent the severity of the condition. The Glaucoma treatment involves the use of proper medicines, rest, and surgical methods.
