Signs of glaucoma of the eye. Symptoms

In medicine, many eye diseases are known, which, when progressing, can provoke the development of complete blindness. Glaucoma also belongs to such a terrible disease.Many people, especially in old age, face this problem, but do not hurry to go to the oculist.And in the meantime, vision is getting worse and worse. In this article we will understand the causes, symptomsglaucoma, itstreatment and prevention.

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a common chronic eye disease characterized by high intraocular pressure and impaired nutrition of the retina and optic nerve.Under the influence of pressure, the fibers of the optic nerve gradually die, and this is fraught with loss of vision.

Modern medicine invests in the term "glaucoma" a fairly large group of eye diseases of different origins and causes of development.Doctors have not yet determined what is the point that gives rise to the development of glaucoma.

Glaucoma code for the ICD 10: n40.

If you do not go to the doctor on time and start treatment, glaucoma will lead to optic atrophy and complete loss of vision. With an acute attack of glaucoma, the pupil of the patient expands and loses its mobility, while it becomes slightly green.

Features of glaucoma:

• Decreased vision;
• Optical neuropathy (dying of nerve fibers);
• The pressure inside the eye is higher than normal.

Glaucoma is considered to be an old disease, but it can also appear in newborn children. According to statistics, children's glaucoma is found in one case out of ten thousand.By the age of sixty, glaucoma is diagnosed in two percent of the population.

Causes

The cause of glaucoma is high intraocular pressure. It rises as a result of the fact that the fluid inside the eye is poorly removed from it and begins to accumulate inside.All this leads to the fact that the optic nerve does not receive sufficient nutrition and gradually atrophies.A glaucoma patient is noticed by a gradual decrease in vision, his peripheral vision is narrowing. As a result, you can completely blind.

Read in more detail and how to measure intraocular pressure.

Specialists identified four types of the disease:

• Congenital glaucoma.It develops even at the stage of embryogenesis of the eyes, when due to the appearance of an anomaly, a dysgenesis of the anterior chamber angle appears. The causes may also be prenatal or postnatal oncology, trauma and so on.
• Youthful glaucoma.It develops in children three years of age or older. The maximum threshold of occurrence of juvenile glaucoma is thirty five years.

• Primary glaucoma.It occurs in people over forty and appears for no apparent reason. There are several factors that can give an impetus to the development of primary glaucoma. This includes: myopia, diabetes, low blood pressure, endocrinological problems and so on. Primary glaucoma has four stages:

1. • initial stage- the field of vision is normal, but some departments have been changed.
   • Advanced stageNarrowing of the field of view.
   • A far gone stage- concentric narrowing of the field of view.
   • Terminal- blindness or residual perception of colors.

Primary glaucoma can be transmitted by inheritance.

• Secondary glaucoma.The cause of its appearance may be a previously transmitted eye disease:

1. • Inflammation (keratitis, scleritis);
   • Lens shift;
   • Dystrophy of the eye (atrophy of the iris);
   • Surgical operations of the eyes;
   • Cataract;
   • Oncological diseases of the organs of vision.

Symptoms

Usually glaucoma is manifested in the fact that the patient begins to see badly, there are painful sensations and heaviness in the eyes, narrowing peripheral vision.A man complains about the appearance of a rainbow when looking at light sources, in the dark he sees much worse than in the light.

There are two forms of the disease:

1. Open angle glaucoma;
2. Closed-angle glaucoma.

The first form is found in most cases and is characterized by a dysfunction of the drainage system of the eyes.Often, open-angle glaucoma occurs without symptoms, so the disease in the early stages is difficult to detect.The loss of vision and narrowing of the periphery occurs for many years, but then the patient can discover that he sees only one eye. Sometimes such signs as iridescent halos, fogging may appear.

The second form of glaucoma is characterized by the fact that the iris closes the angle of the chamber and the outflow of liquid is disturbed.There is an increase in pressure in the eyes and can begin an acute attack. It can be determined by the following attributes:

• Pain in the eye and head;
• Sharp decrease in vision or blindness;
• Redness of the eyeball;
• Pupil dilated;
• Iridescent halos.

The fibers of the optic nerve partially die, but some of them are in a state of depressed excitability and conduction (parabiosis). If you start treatment in time, you can return these fibers to normal functioning.

Diagnostics

To diagnose glaucoma at the initial stage, it is necessary not only to measure the pressure inside the eyes, but also to examine the state of the fundus and optic nerve.In addition, you will need to carefully check the field of view. All this suggests that the diagnosis of glaucoma involves sufficiently large-scale events.

An ophthalmologist should conduct an examination of the patient's vision using modern techniques. This includes:

• Computer perimetry, which will determine the state of peripheral vision.
• Ultrasonography;
• Determination of intraocular pressure;
• Gonioscopy- Inspection of the eye chambers.
• Measuring the depth of the camera;
• Measurement of the thickness of the lens;
• Determination of refractive power;

These methods will allow to diagnose glaucoma even at the earliest stages, and start treatment in time.

Treatment

Treatment is appointed by the doctor depending on the stage of development of the disease, its kind. In this regard, can be appointed:

1. Eye drops.They only lower the intraocular pressure. They are produced quite a lot, and each carries a certain impact (Fotil, Betoptik, Luxfen and others).
2. Vitamin preparations.The use of vitamins can give a positive effect. In particular, vitamins with lutein are considered to be among the most effective. They will help to keep sight (Lutein Forte).
3. Surgical operations.They are carried out when eye drops and vitamins no longer have the proper effect on stopping the decline in vision. Closed-angle glaucoma can be operated with the traditional method or method of lens removal and replacement with an intraocular lens. An operation to restore the normal content of the ophthalmic fluid, which is used in open-angle glaucoma, can be proposed.

We recommend that you read the instruction for eye drops Luxphen.

Complications

Complications of glaucoma include complete loss of function and loss of the optic nerve, and irreversible development of blindness.

After treatment, complications can also occur. These include: infections (they can be cured with antibiotics), allergic reactions to eye drops.

Prevention

To preventive measures aimed at combating glaucoma, you can include:

• Proper nutrition.Food should be rich in vitamins and minerals. Necessarily need to eat fish, dairy products, cereals. It is necessary to refrain from drinking alcohol.
• Physical activity.Only thirty minutes of active physical exercise per day and blood circulation in the eyes is normalized, which will receive enough nutrition.
• Systematic trips to the ophthalmologist.This will reveal glaucoma at an early stage.
• Medications.Eye drops and other drugs recommended by an ophthalmologist will provide nutrition to the eyes.

Do not overexert the eyes. For this, it is necessary to work in a well-lit room, and do not forget to knead the neck with a long inclination of the head.

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Hyperopia of the eye.

Proteins of the eye with red veins and yellowness what to do read here.

Massage for dacryocystitis: http://eyesdocs.ru/zabolevaniya/dakriocistit/u-vzroslyx-lechenie.html

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conclusions

Glaucoma is a serious enough disease requiring urgent treatment.To avoid the sad consequences of glaucoma, it is necessary to be engaged in prevention from youth (adhere to balanced nutrition, abandon bad habits and actively engage in sports) and at least once a year to visit ophthalmologist.If the glaucoma is still found, or you started to feel its first symptoms, do not despair. You need to visit an ophthalmologist and do not neglect the treatment prescribed by him, only then you can defeat the disease and rejoice in good vision.

Read also how to get sick with heterochromia of the eye.