Is it possible to cure glaucoma?

Glaucoma is one of the most insidious eye diseases. It can completely deprive the person of the opportunity to see. Its first sign is high intraocular pressure, which is rarely felt by people. It appears regardless of age, and lead to disability. Only qualitative treatment will not allow to reach the last stage, preventing blindness.

What it is

Glaucoma is represented by a group of many different diseases of the eye.At the last stage the pupil becomes immobile, always expanded and characteristic greenish color. The name came from Greece and has a translation - azure or the color of the sea wave, also glaucoma is sometimes called "green cataract" and "green water".

Glaucoma is a chronic disorder of the organs of vision. Expressed by increased pressure inside the eyeball. This indicator can periodically and chronically manifest. In the optic nerve and the retina of the eye, a disturbance of the outflow of the intraocular fluid develops. This also provokes the appearance of visual defects.

Under the general name of "glaucoma" are combined more than 60 different diseases, but they have some similar characteristics:

• Intraocular pressure (IOP) in excess of the personal tolerability of this indicator. Included is both a temporary disorder and a chronic one.
• Disrupts the functioning of the optic nerve. This disorder is also called glaucoma optic neuropathy, which causes atrophy of the optic nerve.
• All have similar visual impairments, peculiar only for glaucoma.

The disease is not always provoked by age-related changes in the body and is even congenital.

The congenital indicator is very low and increases with age. The highest rate falls on the elderly.

Causes

Unfortunately, there is no definite opinion, because of what there is a glaucoma.It is generally accepted that this multifactorial disease has several stages and each of them introduces irreversible changes.To this deviation. People with individual anomalies of the structure of the eyes who have different pathologies in nervous system, endocrine, cardiovascular, and there is a risk of transmission of this disease by inheritance.

Closed-angle glaucoma

The scientist is not yet available to study, which is why specific violations occur during the development of glaucoma, but it is understandable how some disorders affect the health of the eyes and cause new problems. Most often the disease progresses in this way:

1. Outflow of intraocular fluid is disturbed. The cause of this problem can be even an elementary inflammatory process.
2. The consequence of this disorder is increased intraocular pressure.
3. Blood circulation in the tissues of the organs of sight worsens.
4. The oxygen starvation begins to develop, the blood supply to the tissues of the visual organs located at the exit of the optic nerve is disturbed.
5. Nerve fibers are squashed in the eyeball. Because of what their functioning is disrupted, and they begin to break down.
6. Because of impaired metabolism in the cells of the eyeball, the visual fibers atrophy and some retinal cells disintegrate.
7. Rapid development of glaucoma optic neuropathy, because of which the optic nerve dies.

Open angle glaucoma

Practically at any stage, there is the possibility to prevent the development of the disease, provided that the treatment regimen prescribed by the doctor is observed.The effectiveness of treatment depends on the degree of changes in the organs of vision that have already occurred. It is not possible to restore lost eye functions, doctors are only able to stop the subsequent development of the disease.

Symptoms

The main danger of glaucoma is that at the initial stage it is asymptomatic. Patients go to the hospital after obvious violations in the organs of vision, but it is impossible to repair the damage.

Assuming the occurrence of glaucoma alone is quite difficult, but if you notice that you have narrowed the boundaries of peripheral vision, you should immediately contact an ophthalmologist.To the primary symptoms can also be attributed the emergence of "rainbow circles" when looking at the light sources, painful sensations in the eyes.Visual acuity in this case often remains without deterioration.

If your family has a tendency to have eye health problems - never miss a routine checkup of a doctor! Only the specialist can identify glaucoma in the early stages!

Quite often people do not know about the development of glaucoma until its acute attack. The attack is accompanied by a sudden decrease in visual acuity or blurring, sharp pain in the eyes, the appearance of halos when looking at light sources, severe headache. There may even be nausea or vomiting.If you feel any of these symptoms, you should immediately go to the hospital! Only fast eye care gives a chance to save eyesight. Blindness in glaucoma is irreversible!

Increased intraocular pressure

Diagnostics

Despite the fact that the main indicator of the development of glaucoma is increased intraocular pressure, only measuring IOP is not enough to diagnose this disease. This requires a number of studies and tests:

• Specialized equipment to explore the patient's field of vision.
• Test the ability of the eye to refract optical rays.
• Measure the IOP indicator.
• To conduct ultrasound of the organs of vision.
• Determine the depth of the anterior chamber of the eye and the thickness of the lens.
• To study the structure of the anterior chamber of the eye, where the outflow of intraocular fluid occurs.
• Investigate the intraocular base.

To obtain an accurate result, a compulsory visit to the clinic is necessary. Only an experienced specialist will be able to conduct all necessary studies and prescribe the necessary treatment.Do not forget that the primary development of glaucoma can not be detected on your own, and the disturbance that it causes can not be reversed!

Symptoms of glaucoma

Treatment

It is impossible to completely cure glaucoma. You can only prevent or slow down its development. There are 2 main methods of treatment: conservative and surgical.

Treatment of glaucoma with drops

In conservative treatment, medicamentous agents are mainly used. Most often these are antiglaucomal drops that improve the outflow of intraocular fluid, thereby reducing IOP.At the primary stages of development of the disease are very effective method, but rejection of them leads to a sharp relapse.It is impossible to completely cure glaucoma with drops, but only open-angle glaucoma is effective. At this stage, there has not yet been a characteristic change in the structure of the organs of vision. Drops will have to be used all life so that the disease does not develop. Closed-angle glaucoma conservative method of treatment is almost impossible.

Surgical intervention is more effective, as a method of treatment. But it does not get rid of the disease forever.Glaucoma is performed on the eye at risk of complete loss of vision. During the operation, new ways are formed for the induction and movement of the intraocular fluid, due to which the intraocular pressure decreases. However, this effect is also temporary. Yes, after a long time, but still the disease returns because of the narrowing or overgrowing of new channels.

Treatment is prescribed by a doctor, and the method depends on the form of the disease.Fulfilling all the prescriptions of the doctor, the illness will not bother.Do not miss planned check-ups to prevent deterioration and at any discomfort should immediately visit the clinic.

Complications

Having launched the disease, the patient will almost certainly completely lose sight and will not be able to restore it.The sooner treatment begins, the fewer irreversible processes will be prevented. Also, in order not to provoke the development of the disease, it is desirable to follow a special diet prescribed by the attending physician.

Remember that the most terrible complication in glaucoma is a complete loss of vision without the possibility of recovery!

Complications of glaucoma: damage to the iris of the eye

Prevention

To avoid the development of this disease, it is necessary to visit the ophthalmologist on a timely basis for routine examinations. Be sure to treat any diseases of the organs of vision.Especially it concerns any injuries and cataracts. Be attentive to any changes in the lens and any pathology must be eliminated immediately.

To help come another balanced diet, rich in necessary elements. The diet must include protein food.Small physical exertion, stimulating proper blood circulation in the body. Including in the organs of vision, preventing oxygen starvation.But to prevent a sharp increase in intraocular pressure, weight lifting should be avoided.

.

Symptoms of retinal detachment - everyone should know about this!

What is amblyopia and how often does it occur in adults? Read this article.

Erosion of the cornea of ​​the eye: http://eyesdocs.ru/zabolevaniya/eroziya-rogovicy-glaza/chem-opasna-boleznj.html

.

Video

conclusions

If there is at least one symptom of glaucoma - go to the hospital immediately. Only a professional will be able to identify the disease at an early stage. Even taking into account the fact that at the moment there is no possibility to completely recover from glaucoma, following the prescriptions of an ophthalmologist, it is possible to lead a normal lifestyle.