Glaucoma

What Every Person Should Know About This Eye Disease

Jan 27, 2009 Stephanie Adamson

Glaucoma is a common disease that affects the pressure of fluid in the eyes.

Affecting millions of Americans every year, glaucoma is a common disease that causes an increase of the fluid pressure in the eye. When the pressure of the fluids in the eye reach above a normal range, damage to the optic nerve occurs resulting in decreased vision. Although glaucoma can be found in virtually everyone it is more likely to be found in African Americans than Caucasians. Adults over the age of sixty and African Americans over the age of forty are the most common group to suffer from glaucoma, although anyone including children can develop it. A person’s chance of having glaucoma is increased if there is a family history of it.

Many people do not notice when they have glaucoma at first. Their vision might seem fine to them, although after time they may realize that they can’t see as well out of the corners of their eyes and that their peripheral vision is lacking. A routine task such as driving the kids to soccer practice may eventually make a person notice their change in vision and seek an appointment with their optometrist. In children and babies the common signs of glaucoma include: tearing of the eyes, cloudiness, and sensitivity to light. Other symptoms of glaucoma include low blood pressure, nausea, pain, redness, and blurred vision.

The affects of glaucoma if left untreated or undiagnosed can be devastating to the eyesight of its victims. Some sufferers may go blind from the devastating affects, while others may lose their peripheral vision or have blurriness. The best way to treat glaucoma is to stop the symptoms and damage before it begins by receiving yearly checkups with an optometrist to test for glaucoma. If the damage has already begun, it isn’t the end of the world. Many medicines are available to lower the eye pressure in the eye to decrease the speed at which glaucoma occurs. A process called laser trabeculoplasty is also available which releases extra fluids in the eye. For children, the most reasonable method is surgery because it may be impossible to communicate well with the child to determine how well medications work. As for adults, surgery is nearly always the last resort.

For optimal eye care, it is important that patients diagnosed with glaucoma stay up-to-date on their treatment as arranged by their doctor. It is also important that if vision changes or other symptoms occur that a patient make an appointment with their optometrist. Patients with no complaints of eye problems should continue having yearly eye exams to prevent or catch any problems early on.

Sources

Healthline

WebMD

The copyright of the article Glaucoma in General Medicine is owned by Stephanie Adamson. Permission to republish Glaucoma in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Glaucoma affects peripheral vision