Glaucoma Disease
n damage is associated with. Untreated glaucoma or uncontrolled, eventually you may notice decreased ability to see at the edges of vision (peripheral vision). Progressive damage to the eyes could lead to blindness. In fact, glaucoma creates at least some vision loss in more than half of the approximately 2.5 million Americans have the eye disease and is the second leading cause of blindness.
Symptoms of glaucoma
Glaucoma is often called the “silent thief of sight” because most types typically cause no pain and no symptoms until vision loss occurs remarkable.
For this reason, glaucoma often progresses undetected until the optic nerve has been irreversibly damaged, with varying degrees of permanent vision loss.
But with acute angle closure glaucoma, blurred symptoms that may come on suddenly, include vision, halos around lights, intense eye pain, nausea and vomiting. If you have these symptoms, you should see an eye doctor or visit the emergency room immediately so that steps are taken to prevent permanent loss of vision.
Diagnosis, evaluation and testing of glaucoma
During routine eye exams, a tonometer is used to measure intraocular pressure or IOP. The eye is numbed with eye drops in general, and a small probe gently rests against the surface of the eye. Other tonometers sending a puff of air on the surface of the eye.
A reading of abnormally high IOP has a problem with the amount of fluid (aqueous humor) in his eyes. Either the eye is producing too much fluid or not properly draining.
a measure of the force exerted on a particular defined area base – As a rule, the intraocular pressure below 21 mmHg (millimeters of mercury) are.
If the IOP over 30 mmHg, the risk of damage from glaucoma 40 times higher than someone with an IOP of 15 mmHg or less determined .* For this reason, glaucoma treatments such as eye drops are kept lower intraocular pressure.
Other methods of monitoring glaucoma include the use of sophisticated imaging technology – such as scanning laser polarimetry (SLP), optical coherence tomography (OCT) and confocal laser scanning ophthalmoscope – refer to pictures and to create optical measurements of the eye, nerve and internal structures.
Then, at intervals, additional pictures and steps are taken to ensure that no changes over time, which might indicate progressive glaucoma damage occurred.
Visual field test is a way to determine your eye doctor if you experience vision loss from glaucoma. Visual field test is staring straight ahead into a machine and a button, if you a candle flickering in the peripheral vision noticed. The visual field test can be repeated at regular intervals to ensure that they do not determine the development of blind spots of damage to the optic nerve or the extent or progression of vision loss from glaucoma.
Gonioscopy can also be done to ensure that the aqueous humor (or “water”) is free from professionals in mind. On gonioscopy special lenses are used with a slit lamp to your eye doctor to see the internal structure of the eye (called the drainage angle) that controls the outflow of aqueous humor and thus intraocular pressure affected. Ultrasound biomicroscopy is another technique used to assess the drainage angle can.