Loss of eyesight impacts every single aspect of daily life. In past eras, those who went blind without benefit of social safety nets often ended life as beggars. While that is usually no longer the case, diseases like glaucoma still exact a severe personal toll, and still can result in visual impairment if not found and treated in the early stages. Glaucoma San Antonio patients continue fighting this scourge using medical advances and education.
The disease is a combination of conditions that often afflicts both eyes, and is commonly characterized by an internal increase in fluids and pressure. Under normal circumstances those liquids drain, equalizing the pressure. If that process is blocked, internal fluid builds, placing damaging pressure on nearby ocular structures including the optic nerve. There are two primary forms, closed and open angle glaucoma.
Because the onset of symptoms is gradual, victims may be completely unaware they face danger. Over a period of years, nerve damage causes a loss of peripheral vision that may not be obvious. If untreated, later stages affect all types of vision, sometimes restricting it to a small, tunnel-shaped space directly in front of the eyes. Closed angle disease causes more acute symptoms that become immediately noticeable.
Those signs include eye pain accompanied by blurred images, sometimes causing nausea and vomiting. Lights seem surrounded by halos, and adjusting to different illumination levels becomes difficult. Advancing age increases the probability of developing this disease, which can also affect people with specific genetic backgrounds, those who have had recent eye surgery, and people already dealing with 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 an exam has uncovered problems, it is vital that treatment begin as soon as possible. While no form of this degenerative condition can be completely cured, progression can be slowed or halted. Even though damage cannot be reversed, the most common therapy includes eye-drops containing prostaglandin analogues, beta blockers, fluid inhibitors, or drugs to stimulate flow.
In cases that do no respond to eye drops, surgery may be the best option. Drainage passages can be effectively unblocked using lasers, while other patients show progress when treated with filters that help relieve internal eye pressure. In some cases aqueous shunt implants are installed. A victim of acute-angle glaucoma is treated as an emergency requiring immediate drug therapy and surgery.
San Antonio TX sufferers know the vital role eye examinations and early detection play in combating this second leading cause of blindness. Because the disease can progress even without symptoms, only an eye specialist can determine whether there is potential trouble. Technological improvements in equipment make an early diagnosis painless and relatively simple, giving doctors better ways to preserve vision longer.
The disease is a combination of conditions that often afflicts both eyes, and is commonly characterized by an internal increase in fluids and pressure. Under normal circumstances those liquids drain, equalizing the pressure. If that process is blocked, internal fluid builds, placing damaging pressure on nearby ocular structures including the optic nerve. There are two primary forms, closed and open angle glaucoma.
Because the onset of symptoms is gradual, victims may be completely unaware they face danger. Over a period of years, nerve damage causes a loss of peripheral vision that may not be obvious. If untreated, later stages affect all types of vision, sometimes restricting it to a small, tunnel-shaped space directly in front of the eyes. Closed angle disease causes more acute symptoms that become immediately noticeable.
Those signs include eye pain accompanied by blurred images, sometimes causing nausea and vomiting. Lights seem surrounded by halos, and adjusting to different illumination levels becomes difficult. Advancing age increases the probability of developing this disease, which can also affect people with specific genetic backgrounds, those who have had recent eye surgery, and people already dealing with 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 an exam has uncovered problems, it is vital that treatment begin as soon as possible. While no form of this degenerative condition can be completely cured, progression can be slowed or halted. Even though damage cannot be reversed, the most common therapy includes eye-drops containing prostaglandin analogues, beta blockers, fluid inhibitors, or drugs to stimulate flow.
In cases that do no respond to eye drops, surgery may be the best option. Drainage passages can be effectively unblocked using lasers, while other patients show progress when treated with filters that help relieve internal eye pressure. In some cases aqueous shunt implants are installed. A victim of acute-angle glaucoma is treated as an emergency requiring immediate drug therapy and surgery.
San Antonio TX sufferers know the vital role eye examinations and early detection play in combating this second leading cause of blindness. Because the disease can progress even without symptoms, only an eye specialist can determine whether there is potential trouble. Technological improvements in equipment make an early diagnosis painless and relatively simple, giving doctors better ways to preserve vision longer.
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