Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis And Treatment Of Glaucoma. Glaucoma is a condition that makes the sufferer experiencing impaired vision. According to the UN World Health Organization or WHO, glaucoma is the second largest cause of blindness worldwide after cataracts.
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Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis And Treatment Of Glaucoma |
Symptoms Of Glaucoma
Glaucoma is generally divided into two types namely closed angle glaucoma or acute glaucoma and glaucoma angle glaucoma or chronic.
On a closed angle glaucoma, symptoms develop very quickly so it takes medical handling to reduce the pressure in the eye as soon as possible. Symptoms of closed-angle glaucoma which are eye pain and severe headaches, eyesight became faint,reddish eyes, nausea and vomiting, such as looking at shadow circle on the lights, and the vision that was suddenly interrupted in dim light conditions.
On the open angle glaucoma, symptoms compared to a closed angle glaucoma with feedback. The sufferer barely feel the damage to their eyes because symptoms develop gradually. The main characteristics of open angle glaucoma is a decrease in peripheral vision in both eyes slowly, before finally being very narrow or tunnel vision.
If glaucoma occurs since babies or children, glaucoma is referred to as congenital glaucoma or congenital. The symptoms will arise since babies or children. Butsometimes the symptoms are not easy to identify. Congenital glaucoma symptoms can be watery looking and Dewy eyes very sensitive to light, the eye looks enlarged due to high pressure in the eye. The eyes squint could also indicate the presence of glaucoma in children.
Causes Of Glaucoma
Glaucoma occurs when pressure within the eye increases due to the circulation of the liquid is disturbed, thus damaging the optic nerve. The cause of the apparent why this happens is not known with certainty. Glaucoma can be divided into two, namely the open angle glaucoma and closed angle glaucoma.
Open angle glaucoma
Glaucoma is caused by the blockage of drain liquid eyes, so the pressure is on the rise.Called "open angle" because the drain liquid eyes are still open although most of these channels in the corner of the eye begins to narrow.
The condition is also called chronic glaucoma develops slowly on the sufferer, so they hardly feel the symptoms or eye damage that occurs.
Closed-angle glaucoma
The opposite of open angle glaucoma, the eye fluid drain obstructed because the angle between the iris and the cornea is too narrow. These circumstances led to an increase in intraocular pressure suddenly.
Despite the obvious cause of glaucoma is unknown, the following are factors thought to play a role in increasing the risk of glaucoma a person experience:
- Aged over 40 years.
- Never had a shoulder injury in the eye or eye surgery.
- Ever experienced undiagnosed high eye pressure or ocular hypertension.
- Suffering from eye diseases such as low vision far, nearsightedness, inflammation of the eyes, and disorders of the retina, lens or the blood vessels of the eye.
- Have family members who also suffers from glaucoma.
- Using corticosteroids in long periods of time.
- Suffering from diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease or an over active thyroid gland.
- Glaucoma can attack both eyes with different severity levels.
The Diagnosis Of Glaucoma
In diagnosing glaucoma, in addition to asking symptom that patients feel, the optometrist will also need information about their health history. And to strengthen the diagnosis, the doctor will perform a number of tests, including:
- Tonometry test, i.e. the examination to measure pressure within the eye. Before this procedure is performed, the patient's eyes will usually be dripped a local anesthetic.
- Perimetry tests or test the visual field. This examination aims to find out whether the patient has peripheral vision is impaired due to glaucoma.
- Tests the gonioscopy. This examination aims to check the angle between the iris and the cornea which is drain the liquid eyes. The doctor will determine if the angle between the iris and the cornea is open or closed.
- Ophthalmoscopy examination, tests for the presence of damage to the optic nerve due to glaucoma. In this examination, the patient will be given a special drug that melted so that their pupils dilate. After that the doctor will examine the patient's eyes with a tool that functions the same as the microscope.
- Pachymetry, test examination to measure corneal thickness. If the test results show that the cornea is experiencing the thickening, meaning that high intraocular pressure as well and the patient could suffer from glaucoma.
Treatment Of Glaucoma
Glaucoma should be diagnosed and treated as early as possible. If the condition is ignored, then this disease will continue to evolve and the sufferer can experience blindness.
Eye damage caused by glaucoma cannot be treated until completely healed as a normal state. But the purpose of the treatment of this condition is to reduce intraocular pressure in the eye and prevent widespread damage to the eye.
Glaucoma can be treated with eye drops, medication taken, laser treatment, or operating procedures.
Eye drops medicationsGeneral eye drops drugs often become the first form handling for open angle glaucoma who are advised by the doctor. This useful drops of fluid disposal launched the eyes and reduce its production.Some types of medication for glaucoma eye drops are:
- Alpha inhibitor drugs such as brimonidine and apraclonidine.
- Drugs such as beta inhibitor of timolol and levobunolol.
- Drugs are prostaglandins such as travoprost and bimatoprost analoge.
- Restricting carbonic anydrase drugs like dorzolamide and brinzolamide.
For maximum effect, eye drops drugs above can be combined to lower the level of pressure inside the eye.Some potential side effects of glaucoma eye drops drug use are:
- Irritation of the eyes
- Red eyes
- Eyes feel dry and/or itchy
- Stinging sensation in the eyes
It's important for You not to use eye drops drugs without asking first on the doctor because it was feared some kind of drug drops have side effects that can affect the performance of the lungs or the heart.Glaucoma Medications are takenTo complement the performance drops or if the drug proved less effective drops, the doctor will prescribe a drug glaucoma in pill form. Drugs that bearer of carbonic anhydrase is drunk like dorzolamide and brinzolamide.Some side effects of the pills for glukoma is:
- Frequent urination
- Problems with memory
- Abdominal pain
- Tingling in hands and feet
- Depression
- Kidney stones
Laser treatment
Laser treatment can be applied to treat open angle glaucoma and closed. On the open angle glaucoma, laser treatment can improve the flow of the eye fluid disposal, whereas in closed-angle glaucoma, this procedure is able to eliminate clogging fluids.After laser procedures, eye drops are usually still need to be used.Operating procedure
Just like laser treatment, glaucoma surgery procedures done if drugs are no longer able to reduce pressure inside the eye. The following are the types of glaucoma surgery if sorted by application in General:Trabeculectomy glaucoma surgery type, that is the most common. This operation aims to facilitate the circulation of fluids of the eye by removing a portion of the trabecularmesh work, i.e. the network place liquid eye out.Aqueous shunt implants, namely surgical procedure aimed at improving the performance of the eye with liquid disposal how to install a tool resembling a small hose on the eyes.
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