Glaucoma
Glaucoma is known as the "silent thief of sight". The reason for the nickname is because most types typically cause no pain and produce no symptoms until it is too late. Glaucoma refers to a category of eye disorders often associated with a dangerous buildup of internal eye pressure (intraocular pressure or IOP), which can damage the eye's optic nerve. Glaucoma typically affects your peripheral vision first. You can lose a great deal of your vision from glaucoma before you are aware anything is happening. If uncontrolled or left untreated, glaucoma can eventually lead to blindness.
Please note there are other forms of the disease (specifically, acute angle-closure glaucoma), where symptoms of blurry vision, halos around lights, intense eye pain, nausea, and vomiting occur suddenly. If you have these symptoms, make sure you immediately see an eye care practitioner immediately.
The exact cause of glaucoma is currently being researched and depending on the type of glaucoma, it can be due to the following:
-High intraocular pressure (causing mechanical damage to the optic nerve)
-Low blood supply to the optic nerve
-Pigment or exfoliation material that blocks the drainage angle
-Previous injury to the eye
-Current or history of inflammation in the eye
-Many other possibilities
In a nutshell, glaucoma is generally caused by the eye producing too much fluid or it's not draining properly. Some treatments involve the use of medications or surgery. No matter the treatment, early diagnosis is the best way to prevent vision loss from glaucoma. See your eye care practitioner routinely for a complete eye examination.
Glaucoma is known as the "silent thief of sight". The reason for the nickname is because most types typically cause no pain and produce no symptoms until it is too late. Glaucoma refers to a category of eye disorders often associated with a dangerous buildup of internal eye pressure (intraocular pressure or IOP), which can damage the eye's optic nerve. Glaucoma typically affects your peripheral vision first. You can lose a great deal of your vision from glaucoma before you are aware anything is happening. If uncontrolled or left untreated, glaucoma can eventually lead to blindness.
Please note there are other forms of the disease (specifically, acute angle-closure glaucoma), where symptoms of blurry vision, halos around lights, intense eye pain, nausea, and vomiting occur suddenly. If you have these symptoms, make sure you immediately see an eye care practitioner immediately.
The exact cause of glaucoma is currently being researched and depending on the type of glaucoma, it can be due to the following:
-High intraocular pressure (causing mechanical damage to the optic nerve)
-Low blood supply to the optic nerve
-Pigment or exfoliation material that blocks the drainage angle
-Previous injury to the eye
-Current or history of inflammation in the eye
-Many other possibilities
In a nutshell, glaucoma is generally caused by the eye producing too much fluid or it's not draining properly. Some treatments involve the use of medications or surgery. No matter the treatment, early diagnosis is the best way to prevent vision loss from glaucoma. See your eye care practitioner routinely for a complete eye examination.