Eyes are the windows to the soul and often are the most neglected area of health care. Glaucoma is an eye disease which can affect your vision and can cause permanent damage if left undetected.
The eye tissues are cleansed through a regular flow of fluid in the eyes. When the fluid is unable to drain effectively, it becomes clogged and creates pressure in your eyes leading to symptoms of glaucoma. The symptoms of glaucoma vary and require medical help for successful treatment.
Primarily, there are two common forms of Glaucoma – Open-Angle Glaucoma and Closed Angle Glaucoma. However, it is the Open-angle Glaucoma which is infamously called the ‘Invisible Eye Sight Thief’.
Open Angle Glaucoma
Open Angle Glaucoma progresses slowly. The slow pace of the disease is one of the factors due to which it goes unnoticed until it is too late. Regular eye examinations become crucial in such cases to diagnose and adopt preventative measures. The usual symptoms include:
- Tunnel vision
- Loss of peripheral vision
Closed Angle Glaucoma
Also known as Angle-Closure Glaucoma, this type of glaucoma is easier to detect. The patients usually experience pain and rapid vision loss that leads them to seek immediate medical help, thus eliminating any permanent damage.
Common symptoms of Closed Angle Glaucoma are:
- Hazy or blurred vision
- Sudden loss of sight
- Headache and eye pain
- Vomiting and nausea due to eye pain
- Spotting halo-like glow around the lights
- Sudden sight loss
Treating Glaucoma
Glaucoma is treated by improving the flow of fluid in the eye or decreasing its production. Please note that the treatments can curb the progression of the disease, however, it cannot reverse the effects of glaucoma. Hence, it is necessary to do regular eye check from a reputed eye doctor, to detect and nip the disease when it is benign.
Common modes of treatment include eye drops, pressure reducing medication, and in advanced cases – surgery.
The most common complication of glaucoma surgery remains loss of eyesight. Hence, it is recommended to go to a reputed doctor and follow the prescribed preventive measures.