Glaucoma

Glaucoma, also referred to as “the silent thief of sight,” is the second leading cause of blindness. This eye disease can cause a loss of vision at its most advanced stage and usually without any symptoms. Glaucoma is usually painless until the disease has reached its full potential and this happens when the optic nerve is completely damaged.

The aqueous fluid, which fills the inside of your eye, acts like a filtering system for the eye. When too much aqueous fluid builds up inside the eye, it causes an intraocular pressure and this pressure can damage the optic nerve which is what sends images to the brain. There are two major types of glaucoma and both types usually affects the peripheral vision first.

The two major types include:

• Open Angle Glaucoma: Open Angle Glaucoma is the most common of the two. Open Angel glaucoma is determined by the presence of characteristic glaucomatous optic nerve changes but appears with a normal appearing of the trabecular meshwork, which is the drainage system of the eye.
• Closed Angle Glaucoma: Closed Angle Glaucoma is the more rare of the two but can happen quickly and can be more painful at its latest stage. This glaucoma is usually characterized by the finding of scar tissue and abnormal blood vessels that physically block the trabecular meshwork. If the trabecular meshwork is closed, the intraocular eye pressure can increase immensely and must be relieved before the optic nerve is damaged.

Other types of Glaucoma include:

• Pseudoexfoliation glaucoma: This is a form of open angle glaucoma where dandruff like material collects in the eye causing a dysfunction of the drainage system.
• Pigmentary glaucoma: This is a form of open angle glaucoma where the pigment from the iris mobile and this can cause the trabecular drain to become dysfunctional.
• Neovascular glaucoma: In Neovascular glaucoma, the growth of new blood vessels can occur. This can create scar tissue with the growth of the new bloodvessels that can block the drainage system, creating an increase of eye pressure that can damage the optic nerve.
• Angle recession glaucoma: A injury to the eye, such as being hit or suffering from blunt impact, can cause damage to the trabecular drainage system and if the drain is damaged, the intraocular pressure can build and this can happen years after the eye injury.

Ongoing research to determine why glaucoma happens in some patients verses others, but glaucoma is believed to be an abnormality of the drainage system. There isn’t a cure for Glaucoma, but there are treatments available that can relieve the intraocular pressure and will keep the pressure from building.

Glaucoma can cause a total loss of vision without treatment and it is important to start the treatment early. A routine eye examination is the best way to know whether or not you have glaucoma and the sooner you know, the sooner the treatment can begin to relieve your eye of the intraocular pressure and this can prevent blindness.

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