Glaucoma Care

Glaucoma or ‘Kala Motia’ or ‘Kala Paani’ is a condition where optic nerve of the eye gets damaged due to increase in intra-ocular pressure (IOP), genetic, metabolic and ocular factors, thereby causing blind spots in the area of vision. It is the most serious eyesight threatening condition of the eye. It usually manifests as a painless or painful gradual loss of vision. The lost vision can never be recovered. However, medical or surgical treatment can prevent or retard further loss of vision.

Glaucoma usually has no symptoms in early stage and gradually leads to permanent loss of vision, which is what makes it so dangerous. By routine eye examination and regular tests you can know about it. Our eyes contain a clear fluid called aqueous humour, which is continuously produced in the eye to bath and nourish the structures inside it. The fluid normally drains out of the eye through drainage canals in a fine mesh work located around the edge of the iris. With glaucoma the fluid fails to drain due to some defect and thus increases the pressure inside the eyes called raised Intra-ocular Pressure (IOP).

Glaucoma-diagram

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Know everything about Glaucoma Care

+ What is Glaucoma ?

Our eyes contain a clear fluid called aqueous humour, which is continuously produced in the eye to bath and nourish the structures inside it. The fluid normally drains out of the eye through drainage canals  but when this fluid fails to drain due to some defect and thus increases the pressure inside the eyes called raised Intraocular Pressure (IOP) and causes the loss of vision is called Glaucoma.

+ Common symptoms of Glaucoma ?

In early stage Glaucoma has no symptoms but here are some common symptoms may occurs:

  • Pain around the eyes when coming out from darkness.
  • Colored halo rings seen around light bulbs especially in the mornings and nights.
  • Frequent change of reading glasses, headaches, pain and redness of the eyes.
  • Reduced vision in dim illumination and during nights.
  • Gradual decrease of side vision with progression of glaucoma.

+ Types of Galucoma ?

  • Chronic Open Angle Glaucoma: The most common type of glaucoma, known as chronic open angle (COAG) or primary open-angle, occurs when the canals draining the eye of aqueous humor become clogged. This blockage can gradually increase pressure within the eye to damaging levels. No pain occurs, so individuals are usually unaware that these changes are occurring.
  • Acute Angle Closure Glaucoma: When eye pressure builds up rapidly, it is called Acute angle-closure Glaucoma. This type of glaucoma commonly occurs in individuals who have narrow anterior chamber angles. In these cases, aqueous fluid behind the iris cannot pass through the pupil thus pushing the iris forward, preventing aqueous drainage through the angle.

+ How the Glaucoma detected ?

  • Visual acuity test. This eye chart test measures how well you see at various distances.
  • Visual field test. This test measures your Peripheral (side vision). It helps your eye care professional to tell if you have lost peripheral vision, a sign of Glaucoma.
  • Dilated eye exam. In this exam, drops are placed in your eyes to widen, or dilate, the pupils. Your eye care professional uses a special magnifying lens to examine your retina and Optic nerve for signs of damage and other eye problems. After the exam, your close-up vision may remain blurred for several hours.
  • Tonometry is the measurement of pressure inside the eye by using an instrument called a Tonometer. Numbing drops may be applied to your eye for this test. A Tonometer measures pressure inside the eye to detect Glaucoma.
  • Pachymetry is the measurement of the thickness of your cornea. Your eye care professional applies a numbing drop to your eye and uses an ultrasonic wave instrument to measure the thickness of your cornea.
  • Optical Coherence Tomography is the latest diagnostic tool to detect the early retinal changes and disc changes due to glaucoma and also helps in monitoring the treatment of glaucoma.

+ How is Glaucoma treated ?

The only known method of treating glaucoma is to decrease the eye pressure. For this, Ophthalmologist will prescribe eye drops, and in rare conditions, oral medications. If eye drops alone do not lower the pressure enough, laser procedures or surgery may be required. Patients of angle closure glaucoma need a laser treatment called peripheral iridectomy, which is an attempt to create a bypass channel to restore the drainage in the eye.

+ Risk factor of Glaucoma ?

Anyone can develop glaucoma. Some people are at higher risk than others which includes:

  • Everyone over the age of 40 yrs.
  • People with family history of glaucoma.
  • Diabetics or having diabetes in parents.
  • People with near sightedness (Myopia) for open angle type and far sightedness (hyperopia) for close angle type.
  • Hypertension.
  • Migraine.