Glaucoma

Glaucoma – General Information

Glaucoma- Symptoms

Glaucoma – Treatment

If we take into consideration the fact that, in most of the cases, this disease is not characterized by a large number of signs and symptoms until it reaches a final stage, then the best way in which is can be detected early enough for an effective treatment are regular eye exams. These exams should be performed by every person; no matter how well he may be feeling. On the other hand, if you have recently experienced severe attacks of headaches, blurred vision, halos around light, pain in the eye or nausea you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. If your doctor considers that you may suffer from Glaucoma, he will probably recommend you one or more of the following tests, in order to establish the level of the damage and the stage of the disease. The most common test is the tonometry which consists of measuring the pressure inside the eye. There are two main ways in which this test can be done: applanation (in this case, a slit lamp is used to provide illumination of the iris, the cornea, the anterior chamber and the lens) and air-puff (in this case, a puff of air is used in order to measure how much force is needed to indent the patient’s cornea).  Other tests include tonometry readings, visual field tests, optic nerve damage tests, pachymetry or gonioscopy. However, in order to obtain a sure diagnosis and to determine exactly the stage of Glaucoma, the doctor has to obtain sure information about the following factors: the level of the vision loss, the intraocular pressure and the alteration of the optic nerve. In addition, when it is in a late stage, this disease is also characterized by the damage of the optic disk.

There are several ways in which Glaucoma can be treated; the aim of the treatment is to diminish the pressure inside the eyes and the production of the aqueous. The most common ways of treating this disease are the surgery, the usage of eye-drops, the laser treatment, the administration of systemic medications or a combination of two or more of these procedures. However, this disease can not be treated completely and the patient has to follow a life-time treatment in order to eliminate the possibility of recurrence and to prevent complete vision loss. The first measure which is taken in the case of all the sufferers of Glaucoma is the administration of eye-drops, which stabilize the intraocular pressure. The most important part about the administration of eye-drops is the fact that the patient has to follow exactly the dosage he was prescribed; otherwise, the disease can worsen. In most of the cases, the eye-drops are combined with oral medications in order to obtain a faster and more effective result. If neither the eye-drops nor the drugs lead to a stabilization of Glaucoma, then the doctor will probably choose to perform a surgery. There are three main types of surgery which your doctor can choose from: laser surgery, conventional surgery or drainage implants.