Losing the sense of sight changes every aspect of living. In the past, people who developed blindness and had no safety net often ended up homeless, relying on begging for survival. While that happens far less commonly today, conditions like glaucoma still take a severe personal toll, and can result in blindness if not discovered and treated early. Glaucoma San Antonio patients fight optic nerve damage with education and the latest medical advances.
It commonly affects both eyes, and is characterized by an increase in fluid pressure within the eye. Under normal conditions, the fluids drain away, allowing pressure to equalize. When that process is interrupted, internal forces slowly build, and can cause long-term damage to the optic nerve and adjacent eye structures. There are two main types of this ailment, designated open or closed angle.
Because this eye disease progresses slowly, victims may not initially be physically aware of any problem. As time passes, damaged nerves slowly cause losses in peripheral vision, a process that may continue for years. In the final stages, all sight is severely affected and vision restricted to a narrow tunnel directly in front of the face. Closed angle disease can cause immediate problems with very prominent symptoms.
These include blurred vision accompanied by eye pain, which may be severe enough to cause nausea and vomiting. Lights appear to have surrounding auras, and adjusting to different illumination levels becomes difficult. Risk of developing the disease increases with age, and can also affected by ethnic background, previous eye surgery, and the presence of certain other illnesses.
The key to successful treatment is early diagnosis. Pressure tests have become a standard part of most eye exams, and can immediately detect dangerously high levels. Additional tools include gonioscopy, a procedure determining blockage of the angle between the iris and cornea. Perimetry tests can tell whether portions of lateral vision are missing, and optic nerve tools reveal the extent of damage at the rear of the eye.
If problems are discovered during an exam, treatment usually begins as soon as possible. As of yet there is no total cure for this type of complex eye degeneration, but progress can be slowed or even halted. While existing destruction is irreversible, there are significantly helpful eye drops that contain effective drugs, including beta blockers, fluid inhibitors, prostaglandin analogues, and chemicals that stimulate liquid flow.
In some cases, the drops may not prove effective, requiring surgery to relive pressure. Lasers are increasingly being used to unblock drainage passages, and some patients benefit from filtering procedures intended to relieve pressure manually. Some patients receive an aqueous shunt implant. Victims of acute-angle glaucoma are treated as emergencies cases, and require immediate pressure reducing drugs in combination with surgery.
Sufferers in San Antonio TX realize the importance of testing and treatment to combat the progression of this vision-robbing condition. Because there may be no apparent symptoms, only a vision specialist can detect the first signs of trouble. Technological advances in visual medicine have made detection simple and pain-free. Early diagnosis reduces the chance that long-term problems will develop.
It commonly affects both eyes, and is characterized by an increase in fluid pressure within the eye. Under normal conditions, the fluids drain away, allowing pressure to equalize. When that process is interrupted, internal forces slowly build, and can cause long-term damage to the optic nerve and adjacent eye structures. There are two main types of this ailment, designated open or closed angle.
Because this eye disease progresses slowly, victims may not initially be physically aware of any problem. As time passes, damaged nerves slowly cause losses in peripheral vision, a process that may continue for years. In the final stages, all sight is severely affected and vision restricted to a narrow tunnel directly in front of the face. Closed angle disease can cause immediate problems with very prominent symptoms.
These include blurred vision accompanied by eye pain, which may be severe enough to cause nausea and vomiting. Lights appear to have surrounding auras, and adjusting to different illumination levels becomes difficult. Risk of developing the disease increases with age, and can also affected by ethnic background, previous eye surgery, and the presence of certain other illnesses.
The key to successful treatment is early diagnosis. Pressure tests have become a standard part of most eye exams, and can immediately detect dangerously high levels. Additional tools include gonioscopy, a procedure determining blockage of the angle between the iris and cornea. Perimetry tests can tell whether portions of lateral vision are missing, and optic nerve tools reveal the extent of damage at the rear of the eye.
If problems are discovered during an exam, treatment usually begins as soon as possible. As of yet there is no total cure for this type of complex eye degeneration, but progress can be slowed or even halted. While existing destruction is irreversible, there are significantly helpful eye drops that contain effective drugs, including beta blockers, fluid inhibitors, prostaglandin analogues, and chemicals that stimulate liquid flow.
In some cases, the drops may not prove effective, requiring surgery to relive pressure. Lasers are increasingly being used to unblock drainage passages, and some patients benefit from filtering procedures intended to relieve pressure manually. Some patients receive an aqueous shunt implant. Victims of acute-angle glaucoma are treated as emergencies cases, and require immediate pressure reducing drugs in combination with surgery.
Sufferers in San Antonio TX realize the importance of testing and treatment to combat the progression of this vision-robbing condition. Because there may be no apparent symptoms, only a vision specialist can detect the first signs of trouble. Technological advances in visual medicine have made detection simple and pain-free. Early diagnosis reduces the chance that long-term problems will develop.
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