Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States, and though it’s most common among seniors, it can affect people of any age. Vision loss from glaucoma is permanent. Most forms of glaucoma will not affect your vision until you've lost more than half of it. Glaucoma is not often caught without a dilated eye exam, that's why Dr. Fries dilates all patients, which is the medical standard of care. Dr. Edward Fries and the team at the Decatur Eye Center in Decatur, Texas, are your best bet against vision loss. Call today or schedule an appointment online.
What is glaucoma?
Half of glaucoma is usually from normal high pressure in the eyes. That means the other half is low to normal pressure, which requires a dilated eye exam to catch due to the changes in the capping of the optic nerve.
Conditions that damage the optic nerve are grouped together under the name glaucoma. Often, the problem originates from abnormal high pressure in your eye. The optic nerve fibers slowly die off as the blood supply to the nerve is not adequate to maintain function. The loss of peripheral vision is seen first because those are the thinnest layers of nerve fiber. Nerve fiber in the eye is actually dying off in glaucoma until it's treated.
The damage to the optic nerve usually results from the buildup of fluid within the eye. Normally, this fluid — called aqueous humor — drains at the point where the iris and cornea meet. It can be caused by an overproduction of fluid, or fluid drainage is blocked.
In either case, the excess aqueous humor builds up and increases pressure within the eye. It’s not fully understood how the fluid builds up.In many cases, glaucoma runs in families, so there is a genetic connection underlying some types of the condition.
What are the types of glaucoma?
Open-angle glaucoma
The most common type occurs when the drain path for aqueous humor remains open, but the tissue through which this liquid passes becomes partially blocked, leading to a slow buildup of eye pressure over time. Without regular eye exams, vision could be lost before there’s any indication of a problem.
Closed-angle glaucoma
This is also a result of the blockage of the drainage path. This condition may come on slowly, as with open-angle glaucoma, or it may occur suddenly, such as after a sudden dilation of your pupil. Acute closed-angle glaucoma is an urgent condition, as permanent damage may occur quickly.
Normal-tension glaucoma is presumed to be vascular in nature, therefore poor blood flow to the optic nerve is causing the condition.
This can cause optic nerve damage even though the pressure in the eye falls into the normal range. The reasons why normal-tension glaucoma occurs aren’t known, though limited blood flow or sensitive optic nerves are suspected culprits.
What symptoms does glaucoma create?
In the early stages, particularly with open-angle glaucoma, no symptoms are present until after the damage has occurred. This is the primary reason regular screening for glaucoma is important, particularly if you’re over 40.
A more advanced form of glaucoma may produce tunnel vision. Both eyes are effective with central and peripheral vision, although a patient will notice the peripheral vision loss more as it becomes more advanced. The upper half or lower half of the vision will be lost. Most of the time can be the upper half.
Acute closed-angle glaucoma typically causes eye pain accompanied by a severe headache. You may see halos around light sources as well as generally blurred vision, and you may experience red eyes and nausea. Contact Decatur Eye Center immediately if you’re having these symptoms.
The normal eye pressure in an eye is usually between 10 to 20 mmHg. Pressures of more than 40 and sometimes 50 to 60 mmHg are necessary for the patient to develop any sensation of pain.
