Glaucoma: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Surgery and Complications

Diseases of the visual system today are often underestimated.They do not die as many people as from cancer and cardiovascular diseases, we can say that eye diseases do not die at all, but that the fact that a person suffering, for example, such a disease as glaucoma risks for the whole life to remain disabled, can be compared with a lethal outcome.In most cases, diseases of the visual system occur in people who have overstepped retirement age, but statistics show that eye diseases have recently begun to attack young people.Cataract, glaucoma, hypertension is an incomplete list of diseases that can lead out of the normal life of any person. Here, for example, what is glaucoma of the eye and how to treat it?

What it is

Today, doctors around the world refer to glaucoma as a serious eye disease that is characterized by a periodic or permanent increased intraocular pressure, accompanied by inflammation of the pathways of fluid outflow from the eyes, leading to the formation of defects view.

Scientific interpretation of this disease may seem too difficult to perceive, and if to speak in plain language, then glaucoma is a disease that:

• noticeable impairment of visual function;
• causes often unbearable pain;
• increases intraocular pressure;
• often leads to blindness and atrophy of the optic nerves.

The name "glaucoma" comes from the Greek language and translates as "azure" or "sea wave" color. It is called so, because during the most acute attack the pupil of the eye acquires a greenish and muddy color.

Glaucoma is not just one disease that affects the organ of vision, under its name it unites about 60 eye diseases that have common characteristics:

• increased intraocular pressure, which can be characterized by changes that affect the level of pain syndrome;
• defeat of optic nerve fibers, which in the long run leads to its atrophy;
• a characteristic of glaucoma is a violation of the ability to clearly see.

Glaucoma occurs at any age, and no one is immune from it. Glaucoma is found in newborns, 1 child with glaucoma is born to 10-20 thousand people. The greatest number of cases for this disease is calculated in the age group after 75 years.

Causes

In order for glaucoma to arise, develop and develop into a chronic form, there must be a number of reasons, and not just one, but several, which together and provoke the disease.

The mechanism of glaucoma, provoked by a number of reasons uncomplicated, the main cause, which leads to the formation of the disease, is considered a violation of the circulation of the liquid.It begins to accumulate inside the eye, thereby increasing the pressure and exerting a load on the optic nerve. The nerve can not withstand a constant load of fluid, which will provoke a violation of blood circulation, and this, in turn, will cause atrophy of the optic nerve and impairment of vision.This is the mechanism of the appearance of glaucoma, but the disturbance of the outflow / inflow of liquids is not the only reason.

The manifestation of glaucoma at the anatomical level

The main causes of glaucoma include:

• heredity;
• anomalies in the structure of the organ of vision;
• pathology of the cardiovascular system;
• diseases of the endocrine and nervous systems.

Glaucoma - this is a very serious and irreversible disease, so ophthalmologists focus on the fact that the time began to treat it, you can avoid total blindness. To the result of losing vision is not necessarily the development of the disease for several years, a sudden attack of acute glaucoma can quickly make a person blind.

Symptoms

The disease is better to kill in its fetus, but the problem is only that most patients of the ophthalmologic office seek help when the disease is already progressing or is in running form.In order to avoid a situation in which there is no positive outcome, it is necessary to know what are the symptoms of glaucoma and pay close attention to them.

Symptoms of glaucoma, as a rule, manifest in the late stages of the disease

Symptoms that should cause you anxiety look like this:

1. Blurred vision.
2. Exceeding the threshold of pain.
3. Sharp pain or pain in the eyes.
4. Heaviness in the eyes.
5. The appearance before the eyes of iridescent divorces when looking at a bright light.

Vision can deteriorate throughout the day, but the greatest peak falls at night.

Diagnostics

In order to diagnose glaucoma is not enough just to measure the intraocular pressure.Setting such a serious diagnosis requires a detailed study of the fundus and the condition of the optic nerve, and for the sake of confidence it is necessary to establish the patient's field of vision.This requires a very detailed examination under the supervision of an ophthalmologist.

A timely examination from an ophthalmologist may warn the development of glaucoma

You can go through the examination in any clinic that specializes in diseases of the visual system and has in its arsenal advanced computerized equipment.

Before you make a final diagnosis, an ophthalmologist:

• conducts a field of vision study;
• reveals whether the eye is capable of optically refracting the rays of light;
• measures the intraocular pressure;
• conducts ultrasound examination;
• Measures the thickness of the lens, determines whether its displacement has occurred;
• estimates the structure of the angle of the anterior chamber, which ensures the outflow of fluid.

This set of procedures is mandatory and urgent if you suspect a glaucoma.But, even he is not always able to give an accurate result. There is a highly sensitive equipment that can detect the disease even in its very bud and stop the process of the disease development in time.

Treatment

Treatment of glaucoma should be strictly controlled by a doctor.After being diagnosed, an ophthalmologist can prescribe medication, namely eye drops, which will help reduce intraocular pressure.In addition to eye drops, patients will be prescribed medications that improve the blood supply to the optic nerve.

Medicines for the treatment of glaucoma can be chosen only by the attending physician, taking into account what form of glaucoma a patient develops and for what reasons it has arisen. Self-medication can cause an attack of acute glaucoma and provoke blindness.

Example of laser treatment for the treatment of glaucoma

In the case when the patient has already undergone a course of drug treatment, and it did not help him, the doctor prescribes surgical intervention.Operations are of two types: laser, usually they pass quickly enough and painlessly and traditional surgical, which involve the opening of the eyeball.

The main goal of antiglaucoma operations is to increase the rate of fluid outflow from the eye.Thus, intraocular pressure can be stabilized and it will not cause discomfort and contribute to the progression of the disease.

Operative intervention does not occur in order to get rid of the disease as from malignant tumors, because it is almost impossible to completely cure glaucoma, but all because it has a chronic character.

Complications

Of course, surgery often causes discomfort in patients, but it's good if discomfort is associated with the rehabilitation period, and if complications arise after surgery?

Antiglaucoma surgery is considered a rather complex operation and sometimes leads to complications.So, after an operative intervention, as a result, it may simply not give positive dynamics and the course of the disease will only worsen.Intraocular pressure will remain high, but the patient himself is unlikely to be able to measure it at home, so in this case complication is that the disease continues to progress, which can negatively affect health eyes.

Closed-angle glaucoma

Also, in a patient who underwent surgery, a veil may appear, which then appears, then disappears, around light sources appear fuzzy halos, eyes and whiskey can hurt - this indicates an increase in intraocular pressure.

If the operation was performed by the method of opening the eyeball, then in this case complications can be caused by the ingress of blood into the anterior chamber and vitreous body.

Such an effect occurs within 2-5 days after the operation and the consequences of complications should be immediately eliminated, otherwise they can simply negate the effect of the operation.

Glaucoma can occur at different ages, although it is most common in the elderly

Prevention

In the case when surgical intervention is performed by opening the eyeball, it is almost impossible to avoid complications, but it is still necessary to prevent their occurrence.

In most cases, the preventive component of treatment depends on the professionalism of the doctors under whose supervision the patient is.Also very much depends on the equipment with which help the operative intervention will be carried out, and also on the quality of the consumables involved in the operation.Hence it can be concluded that the prevention of complications depends on the following factors:

• professionalism of the ophthalmologist;
• equipment on which the operation is performed;
• quality of consumables.

Of course, a lot depends on how much the stage was sick, because the more complicated the operation, the more likely the occurrence of complications after it.

Prevention of complications is a very important factor in minimizing their manifestations.

Video

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conclusions

Glaucoma is not a verdict if it is revealed on time and seek qualified medical care.To cure this disease is almost impossible, because it often flows into a chronic form and manifests itself as seizures or periodic increases in intraocular pressure. Noticing the signs of glaucoma early stages, avoiding blindness and other unpleasant consequences is quite possible.If the case is not too neglected, medication can help, if the disease progresses and makes itself felt, causing discomfort, then surgery is necessary.

Symptoms of glaucoma at the initial stage may seem insignificant, the greatest danger is an attack of acute glaucoma, which can lead to irreversible blindness.Today, glaucoma is no longer a disease of the elderly, it manifests itself even among the fascinated. A great role in its occurrence is played by heredity, as well as predisposition to cardiovascular diseases.

In order that glaucoma does not become the cause of disability - the main thing is to identify it in time and promptly conduct treatment.