Glaucoma
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of vision loss in people over
the age of 50. According to the American Health Assistance Foundation's
National Glaucoma Research program, 2.2 million people have the
disease, with another 3.3 million persons expected to acquire glaucoma
by the year 2020. It is estimated that as many as 120,000 people have
been blinded by the disease. Interestingly, up to 50% of those affected
by glaucoma may not even realize that they have the disease. This is
because glaucoma is a slowly progressive eye disease that does not
present with visual symptoms until it has advanced nearly 40%.
Glaucoma is described as a progressive optic neuropathy, or a disease of the optic nerve. More specifically, glaucoma develops as a result of irreversible damage to the optic nerve head, which is located in the back of the eye. If enough optic nerve fiber bundles are damaged, irreversible vision loss takes place.
The causes of glaucoma are
varied and many types of glaucoma exist. Most commonly however, glaucoma
results from increased intraocular fluid pressure (IOP) over an extended period of time, typically over the course of many years. Most
susceptible to this constant tension is the optic nerve, which over
time loses it's battle with the eye's aqueous fluid. This is known as open angle glaucoma. Closed angle glaucoma, more commonly found with eye injuries, develops
when the eye's fluid pressure rises to extremely high levels as a
result of complete blockage of it's drainage angles. This can be painful
and may lead to blindness within 24 hours if not treated immediately.
Yet a third type of glaucoma, known as normal tension glaucoma, can develop with seemingly adequate IOP's. This type of glaucoma is the most perplexing from a practitioner's point of view, and is believed to result from poor blood flow from behind the eye.
The risk factors for glaucoma include older age, race (African American, Asian, Native American, & Hispanic's are at greater risk), a prior family history of glaucoma, high corticosteroid or cortisone levels, eye trauma, and having diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.
The visual symptoms of glaucoma don't occur for many years, but over time, peripheral vision becomes diminished, followed by a loss of central vision. The goal of glaucoma treatment is to reduce the pressure within the eye, which is typically accomplished with eye drops. In cases of unrelenting glaucoma, surgery may be necessary.
The risk factors for glaucoma include older age, race (African American, Asian, Native American, & Hispanic's are at greater risk), a prior family history of glaucoma, high corticosteroid or cortisone levels, eye trauma, and having diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.
The visual symptoms of glaucoma don't occur for many years, but over time, peripheral vision becomes diminished, followed by a loss of central vision. The goal of glaucoma treatment is to reduce the pressure within the eye, which is typically accomplished with eye drops. In cases of unrelenting glaucoma, surgery may be necessary.
Everyone
should be examined regularly for the presence of glaucoma, so schedule a
comprehensive eye exam with your eye care provider every year.
Yours in eye health,
Kevin L. Crosier, OD
http://www.clearvision-eye-care.com
kevinlcrosier@msn.com
(303) 657-2848
kevinlcrosier@msn.com
(303) 657-2848
