WHAT IS GLAUCOMA?
When increased eye pressure damages the optic nerve, causing loss of vision, it's called glaucoma or 'green cataract'. The optic nerve cells then slowly die. Worldwide, and especially in the modern Western world, glaucoma steals your vision like a thief in the night: you don't notice it because the damage starts outside your central fixation. Nevertheless, glaucoma is one of the biggest causes of poor vision.
Although open-angle glaucoma is chronic and painless, it is important to treat the condition quickly. In some cases, acute glaucoma can occur: this is a very painful, sudden high-pressure rise in which the iris shuts off the drainage circle. The eye's drainage system closes while the ocular fluid remains, causing a rapid rise in eye pressure.
It is useful to know that a whole range of medications can trigger the sudden eye pressure increase: especially those that are prescribed for stomach, bowel and bladder issues, as well as some sleeping pills.
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SYMPTOMS
Most patients have no symptoms during the early stages of glaucoma. There is reduced vision, but the brain initially fills in the missing information itself. As the condition progresses, visual acuity decreases and, in severe cases, can even lead to blindness.
TREATMENT
Unfortunately, glaucoma cannot be rectified, but early detection can prevent it from going from bad to worse. The goal in each case is to reduce eye pressure. The options in treatments have evolved greatly, from a mixture of daily eye drops, LASER treatment and STENT placements to drainage surgery. When there is a threat of acute glaucoma flare-up due to the architecture of the eye, YAG laser iridectomy (also known as iridotomy) can be performed.
