Eye Pressure (Glaucoma)
Due to an increase in intraocular pressure that kills the optic nerve, glaucoma (also known as "eye pressure") is a condition that impairs vision.
The eye fluid in a healthy eye is continuously produced and emptied by being absorbed in a balanced way. As a result, intraocular pressure stays within normal ranges. In general, normal eye pressure is between 20- and 21-mm Hg. Glaucoma, however, can be detected even at lower blood pressure levels. The most common type of glaucoma, known as open angle eye blood pressure disease, or glaucoma, develops when the discharge of the produced eye fluid is inhibited. In this case, a blockage in the canals causes the eye fluid to build up and enter the blood vessels, which is against normal protocol. This raises intraocular pressure. If left untreated, high intraocular pressure harms the optic nerve and can cause vision loss that eventually results in blindness.
How Is Glaucoma Diagnosed?
A routine eye exam can be used to identify the disease glaucoma. Your doctor will ask you for more thorough exams if you think you might have glaucoma. Eye pressure measurements alone are insufficient for glaucoma diagnosis. Early diagnosis is crucial because the disease has no distinctive symptoms. The more damage to the optic nerve fibres and cells will be spared, the earlier the diagnosis is made. The following techniques are used to diagnose glaucoma.
• Eye Blood Pressure Measurement
• Visual Field Examination
• OCT (RNFL)
• PACHYMETRY
How Is Glaucoma Treated?
• Medical treatment
• Various laser treatments
• Surgical methods can be applied.
Medical Treatment: Glaucoma is treated with a variety of drops. They use various mechanisms to lower intraocular pressure. They work by either increasing or decreasing the outflow of eye fluid. One drug is first used to begin treatment; if it is insufficient, a second drug is added; and, if the glaucoma persists, surgery is required.
In patients with glaucoma who do not respond well to drug therapy, laser therapy is a treatment option that may be used prior to surgery. Numerous laser treatment options are available. When used immediately, this technique is very effective.
Surgery is initiated if drug therapy fails to adequately control glaucoma and the intraocular pressure cannot be brought down to the desired level. "Trabeculectomy" is the surgical procedure that is used the most.
What are the Symptoms:
Glaucoma is a disease that affects millions of people worldwide and can affect anyone, regardless of age or gender. However, a few things could make you more likely to get the illness.
• If you have a family history of glaucoma, as genetics
• If you have high myopia,
• If you have very high hyperopia,
• If you are over 35 years old
• If you have used cortisone medication for a long time for any reason,
• If you are diabetic,
• If you have high eye pressure, you may be at risk.
Glaucoma Types:
Open Angle Glaucoma:
The majority of cases of the condition fall under this category, also known as open-angle chronic glaucoma. A significant number of vision cells may be lost due to this type of glaucoma without anyone noticing anything wrong. Open-angle glaucoma's root cause is still a mystery. Usually, it affects both eyes differently in terms of severity.
Closed-angle glaucoma:
It is the least prevalent kind. Closed-angle glaucomas make up about 10% of all cases. Severe headache, eye pain, red eyes, severely blurred vision, seeing movement around lights, nausea, and vomiting are some of the symptoms. Following the crisis, permanent vision loss may happen within a few hours or days. As a result, immediate medical attention is required, and eye pressure needs to be reduced.
Congenital glaucoma:
Some infants are born with a rare type of glaucoma. This kind of disease can affect some kids and teenagers. Its signs include eye enlargement, greying, turbidity, tears, an inability to look at light, and aversion to light. Surgery is the main form of treatment for congenital glaucoma. As soon as a diagnosis is made, surgery should be done to prevent permanent blindness. In addition to surgery, medication may be administered.
Diagnostic Methods
An eye exam can be used to diagnose glaucoma. Early diagnosis of glaucoma is crucial because it is a slowly developing condition that gradually causes optic nerve damage, which results in vision loss. Since it is not possible to save the damaged visual cells once glaucoma has been diagnosed, treatment focuses on saving the visual cells that will die. The more the optic nerve fibre and visual cell will be spared from destruction, the earlier the diagnosis is made. When glaucoma is discovered, the doctor should thoroughly explain to the patient and their loved ones what it is and how serious it is. The following techniques are used to diagnose glaucoma.
Tonometer is a device used to measure the blood pressure in the eyes. Even if a person has no complaints, measuring eye pressure can provide very valuable information about whether they have a suspicion of having glaucoma. In polyclinic exam conditions, it is currently the simplest and fastest glaucoma screening method. Eye pressure should be measured by an ophthalmologist as part of the eye examination because it is a crucial indicator. because glaucoma is not always caused by high eye pressure. 10-20 mmHg is considered normal eye pressure, but there are some exceptions to this rule (like normal tension glaucoma, described later).
Examining the head of the optic nerve is one of the most crucial examination techniques for glaucoma diagnosis and monitoring. The doctor can examine the optic nerve head directly using an ophthalmoscope or other similar tools, as well as using tomography and other computerised imaging techniques. The goal of all techniques is to identify alterations in the optic nerve head and track the development of glaucoma damage over time.
Measurement of the nerve fibre layer is the process of looking at the layer of nerve fibres that makes up the optic nerve. The measurements must use computer-assisted imaging techniques in order to be consistent and repeatable.