Loss of vision changes every single aspect of life. In past centuries, people who lost their eyesight and had no safety net often ended up begging in order to survive. While that rarely happens today, eye diseases like glaucoma still exact a harsh personal penalty, and can result in blindness if not found and treated in time. Glaucoma San Antonio sufferers combat this optic nerve issue using education and advances in technology.
Glaucoma commonly attacks both eyes, and is characterized by ever-increasing liquid pressure within those orbs. Fluids regularly drain under normal circumstances, which allows internal pressure to remain balanced. If that natural process is blocked, internal forces slowly build, often causing permanent damage to nearby ocular structures, including the optic nerve. The two most common types are called open and closed angle.
Because the onset of symptoms is gradual, victims may be completely unaware they face danger. Over a period of years, nerve damage causes a loss of peripheral vision that may not be obvious. If untreated, later stages affect all types of vision, sometimes restricting it to a small, tunnel-shaped space directly in front of the eyes. Closed angle disease causes more acute symptoms that become immediately noticeable.
These include blurred vision accompanied by eye pain, which may be severe enough to cause nausea and vomiting. Lights appear to have surrounding auras, and adjusting to different illumination levels becomes difficult. Risk of developing the disease increases with age, and can also affected by ethnic background, previous eye surgery, and the presence of certain other illnesses.
Early diagnosis is the key to successful long-term treatment. Standard eye exams for glasses include simple, painless pressure testing, and can quickly detect unnaturally high readings. Gonioscopy is another diagnostic tool that helps determine the extend of blockage in the angle between cornea and iris. Lateral vision deterioration is tested using perimetry equipment, and there are measurements to determine optic nerve damage.
If an exam has uncovered problems, it is vital that treatment begin as soon as possible. While no form of this degenerative condition can be completely cured, progression can be slowed or halted. Even though damage cannot be reversed, the most common therapy includes eye-drops containing prostaglandin analogues, beta blockers, fluid inhibitors, or drugs to stimulate flow.
In some cases, the drops may not prove effective, requiring surgery to relive pressure. Lasers are increasingly being used to unblock drainage passages, and some patients benefit from filtering procedures intended to relieve pressure manually. Some patients receive an aqueous shunt implant. Victims of acute-angle glaucoma are treated as emergencies cases, and require immediate pressure reducing drugs in combination with surgery.
Sufferers in San Antonio TX realize the importance of testing and treatment to combat the progression of this vision-robbing condition. Because there may be no apparent symptoms, only a vision specialist can detect the first signs of trouble. Technological advances in visual medicine have made detection simple and pain-free. Early diagnosis reduces the chance that long-term problems will develop.
Glaucoma commonly attacks both eyes, and is characterized by ever-increasing liquid pressure within those orbs. Fluids regularly drain under normal circumstances, which allows internal pressure to remain balanced. If that natural process is blocked, internal forces slowly build, often causing permanent damage to nearby ocular structures, including the optic nerve. The two most common types are called open and closed angle.
Because the onset of symptoms is gradual, victims may be completely unaware they face danger. Over a period of years, nerve damage causes a loss of peripheral vision that may not be obvious. If untreated, later stages affect all types of vision, sometimes restricting it to a small, tunnel-shaped space directly in front of the eyes. Closed angle disease causes more acute symptoms that become immediately noticeable.
These include blurred vision accompanied by eye pain, which may be severe enough to cause nausea and vomiting. Lights appear to have surrounding auras, and adjusting to different illumination levels becomes difficult. Risk of developing the disease increases with age, and can also affected by ethnic background, previous eye surgery, and the presence of certain other illnesses.
Early diagnosis is the key to successful long-term treatment. Standard eye exams for glasses include simple, painless pressure testing, and can quickly detect unnaturally high readings. Gonioscopy is another diagnostic tool that helps determine the extend of blockage in the angle between cornea and iris. Lateral vision deterioration is tested using perimetry equipment, and there are measurements to determine optic nerve damage.
If an exam has uncovered problems, it is vital that treatment begin as soon as possible. While no form of this degenerative condition can be completely cured, progression can be slowed or halted. Even though damage cannot be reversed, the most common therapy includes eye-drops containing prostaglandin analogues, beta blockers, fluid inhibitors, or drugs to stimulate flow.
In some cases, the drops may not prove effective, requiring surgery to relive pressure. Lasers are increasingly being used to unblock drainage passages, and some patients benefit from filtering procedures intended to relieve pressure manually. Some patients receive an aqueous shunt implant. Victims of acute-angle glaucoma are treated as emergencies cases, and require immediate pressure reducing drugs in combination with surgery.
Sufferers in San Antonio TX realize the importance of testing and treatment to combat the progression of this vision-robbing condition. Because there may be no apparent symptoms, only a vision specialist can detect the first signs of trouble. Technological advances in visual medicine have made detection simple and pain-free. Early diagnosis reduces the chance that long-term problems will develop.
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