Causes, symptoms, types, and treatment methods of glaucoma

 

Glaucoma is an optic nerve disease that causes functional abnormalities of the optic nerve and leads to visual field defects.
The optic nerve is responsible for transmitting visual information to the brain. When its function is impaired, visual field loss occurs, and in the advanced stages, it can result in loss of vision.

Causes of Glaucoma
This condition occurs when intraocular pressure (the normal range is 10–21 mmHg) rises suddenly. Glaucoma may also develop even when intraocular pressure is within the normal range if there is impaired blood flow to the optic nerve. In addition, a family history of glaucoma may increase the risk.

Symptoms of Glaucoma

normal eye

eye with glaucoma

Because glaucoma causes gradual damage to the optic nerve, there are often no noticeable symptoms, making it difficult to recognize the condition in its early stages.

However, in the advanced stages, visual field impairment and decreased visual acuity may occur.

• Common symptoms: Various symptoms may accompany the condition, including decreased vision, headache, nausea/vomiting, eye redness, shoulder stiffness, and eye pain.

• Symptoms as the disease progresses: The peripheral visual field may become blurry or dark, lights may appear to scatter, and halos may be seen around lights. A foreign body sensation in the eye and frequent redness may occur, and increased intraocular pressure may be felt when straining the body.

Types of Glaucoma
Glaucoma is classified into chronic glaucoma and acute glaucoma.

Chronic glaucoma (open-angle glaucoma):
The condition develops while the anterior chamber angle remains open and structurally normal. Because there are no noticeable symptoms in the early stages, diagnosis is often delayed.

Acute glaucoma (closed-angle glaucoma):

This occurs when a sudden increase in intraocular pressure causes the iris to move forward toward the cornea, resulting in closure of the anterior chamber angle. Acute glaucoma is accompanied by eye pain, headache, decreased vision, nausea, and vomiting at the onset, and accounts for approximately 10% of all glaucoma cases.

Treatment of Glaucoma

The goal of glaucoma treatment is to slow or stop disease progression. Because damaged optic nerves cannot recover, early diagnosis and prompt treatment are essential.

• Medication therapy: The most common initial treatment, using eye drops to lower intraocular pressure.

• Laser treatment: Uses laser therapy to improve the outflow of aqueous humor.

• Surgical treatment: If intraocular pressure cannot be controlled with medication or laser therapy, surgical procedures may be used to facilitate aqueous humor drainage.

Prevention of Glaucoma

Early detection is crucial for preventing glaucoma. Therefore, annual glaucoma screening is recommended for individuals aged 40 years and older. Through these measures, vision can be protected from glaucoma and a brighter future maintained.