Losing the sense of sight changes every aspect of living. In the past, people who developed blindness and had no safety net often ended up homeless, relying on begging for survival. While that happens far less commonly today, conditions like glaucoma still take a severe personal toll, and can result in blindness if not discovered and treated early. Glaucoma San Antonio patients fight optic nerve damage with education and the latest medical advances.
The disease is a combination of conditions that often afflicts both eyes, and is commonly characterized by an internal increase in fluids and pressure. Under normal circumstances those liquids drain, equalizing the pressure. If that process is blocked, internal fluid builds, placing damaging pressure on nearby ocular structures including the optic nerve. There are two primary forms, closed and open angle glaucoma.
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.
Those signs include eye pain accompanied by blurred images, sometimes causing nausea and vomiting. Lights seem surrounded by halos, and adjusting to different illumination levels becomes difficult. Advancing age increases the probability of developing this disease, which can also affect people with specific genetic backgrounds, those who have had recent eye surgery, and people already dealing with other illnesses.
Early diagnosis is the key to successful long-term treatment. Most eye examinations include standard pressure tests which can immediately reveal higher-than-normal pressure levels. Gonioscopy is an additional procedure helpful in determining the extent of blockage of the angle from cornea to iris. Lateral vision loss is detected by perimetry testing, and additional medical tools can determine the amount of damage to the optic nerve itself.
If problems are discovered during an exam, treatment usually begins as soon as possible. As of yet there is no total cure for this type of complex eye degeneration, but progress can be slowed or even halted. While existing destruction is irreversible, there are significantly helpful eye drops that contain effective drugs, including beta blockers, fluid inhibitors, prostaglandin analogues, and chemicals that stimulate liquid flow.
In cases that do no respond to eye drops, surgery may be the best option. Drainage passages can be effectively unblocked using lasers, while other patients show progress when treated with filters that help relieve internal eye pressure. In some cases aqueous shunt implants are installed. A victim of acute-angle glaucoma is treated as an emergency requiring immediate drug therapy and surgery.
San Antonio TX victims of this condition realize how important regular eye exams and early detection really are. Because many patients experience the disease for years without overt symptoms, only a physician can determine the extent and severity of the problem. Current technological advances have made early diagnosis simple, easy, and painless, and help preserve visual acuity as long as possible.
The disease is a combination of conditions that often afflicts both eyes, and is commonly characterized by an internal increase in fluids and pressure. Under normal circumstances those liquids drain, equalizing the pressure. If that process is blocked, internal fluid builds, placing damaging pressure on nearby ocular structures including the optic nerve. There are two primary forms, closed and open angle glaucoma.
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.
Those signs include eye pain accompanied by blurred images, sometimes causing nausea and vomiting. Lights seem surrounded by halos, and adjusting to different illumination levels becomes difficult. Advancing age increases the probability of developing this disease, which can also affect people with specific genetic backgrounds, those who have had recent eye surgery, and people already dealing with other illnesses.
Early diagnosis is the key to successful long-term treatment. Most eye examinations include standard pressure tests which can immediately reveal higher-than-normal pressure levels. Gonioscopy is an additional procedure helpful in determining the extent of blockage of the angle from cornea to iris. Lateral vision loss is detected by perimetry testing, and additional medical tools can determine the amount of damage to the optic nerve itself.
If problems are discovered during an exam, treatment usually begins as soon as possible. As of yet there is no total cure for this type of complex eye degeneration, but progress can be slowed or even halted. While existing destruction is irreversible, there are significantly helpful eye drops that contain effective drugs, including beta blockers, fluid inhibitors, prostaglandin analogues, and chemicals that stimulate liquid flow.
In cases that do no respond to eye drops, surgery may be the best option. Drainage passages can be effectively unblocked using lasers, while other patients show progress when treated with filters that help relieve internal eye pressure. In some cases aqueous shunt implants are installed. A victim of acute-angle glaucoma is treated as an emergency requiring immediate drug therapy and surgery.
San Antonio TX victims of this condition realize how important regular eye exams and early detection really are. Because many patients experience the disease for years without overt symptoms, only a physician can determine the extent and severity of the problem. Current technological advances have made early diagnosis simple, easy, and painless, and help preserve visual acuity as long as possible.
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