GLAUCOMA
What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is the most serious eyesight threatening condition. It usually manifests as a painless, gradual loss of vision. The lost vision can never be recovered. However, medical or surgical treatment can prevent or retard further loss of vision.
Types of Glaucoma
Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma
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The most common type, it causes a slow and painless loss of vision. Most people have no noticeable symptoms until significant optic nerve damage has already occurred.
Normal-Tension Glaucoma
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A subtype where the optic nerve gets damaged even though eye pressure is within the normal range. Reduced blood flow to the optic nerve is often a contributing factor.
Angle-Closure (Acute) Glaucoma
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In this type, eye pressure rises suddenly due to a sudden blockage of fluid drainage. It causes noticeable symptoms like severe eye pain, headache, haloes around lights, and blurred vision. This is an eye emergency.
Congenital Glaucoma
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A rare type present at birth, usually due to improper development of the eye’s drainage system. It often runs in families and needs early treatment to protect vision
Secondary Glaucoma
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This form develops as a result of another condition. It may be caused by long-term steroid use, eye diseases like uveitis, or systemic medical conditions.
How Is Glaucoma Treated?
The main goal of glaucoma treatment is to lower intraocular pressure. Depending on the type of glaucoma, this is done through medications or surgery. Most patients are started on pressure-reducing eye drops; some may also need oral or IV medicines. These drops can occasionally cause redness, stinging, blurred vision, or allergies, and certain drugs may affect the heart or lungs—so informing your doctor about any existing medications or allergies is important.
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Laser options include trabeculoplasty (improves drainage), iridotomy (creates a small opening in the iris), and cyclophotocoagulation (reduces fluid production). When required, a surgical procedure called trabeculectomy creates a new drainage channel to help lower pressure effectively.
Who Is at Risk for Glaucoma?
Individuals over 40 years
Those with a family history of glaucoma
Diabetics
People with myopia (risk for open-angle glaucoma)
People with hyperopia (risk for angle-closure glaucoma)
Individuals with hypertension
People who experience migraines