Glaucoma - a common group of eye diseases, which is characterized by a periodic or constant increase in intraocular pressure with further development of typical visual defects, as well as a gradual decrease in vision and possible atrophy of the optic nerve.
Symptoms of glaucoma are manifested by narrowing of the fields of vision, pain, cuts and a feeling of heaviness in the eyes, blurring of vision, deterioration of twilight vision, in severe cases blindness. Diagnosis of glaucoma includes perimetry, tonometry and tonography, gonioscopy, optical coherence tomography, laser retinotomography.
Treatment of glaucoma requires the use of antiglaucoma drops, the application of laser surgery (iridotomy (iridectomy) and trabeculoplasty) or carrying out antiglaukomatoznyh operations (trabeculectomy, sclerectomy, iridectomy, iridocyclore retraction, etc.).
In medicine, there are 2 main forms of the disease: closed-angle and open-angle. In addition, congenital, juvenile, secondary glaucoma is identified, which can be associated with a variety of anomalies in the development of the eye. In this article we will consider glaucoma: the causes, symptoms, treatment and prevention of this complex disease.
Causes
The main cause of glaucoma is high intraocular pressure. It is increased due to the imbalance between production and outflow of watery moisture - a special liquid substance necessary for the normal functioning of the eye.
Most often there is a primary glaucoma, the symptoms of which are poorly expressed. The factors provoking its development include age, myopia, heredity, diseases of the nervous system, thyroid gland, diabetes mellitus, hypotension.
Secondary glaucoma develops as a result of a previous eye disease. Its causes are:
- lens shift;
- inflammatory processes of the eyes, such as scleritis, uveitis, keratitis;
- cataract;
- dystrophic eye diseases, for example, progressive atrophy of the iris;
- injuries, eye burns;
- swelling of the eye;
- surgical operations on the eyes.
In this disease, due to a prolonged increase in intraocular pressure, characteristic visual impairments develop: fallout parts of the field of vision (dark spots before the eyes), progressive blindness and atrophy (destruction) of the optic nerve.
Symptoms of glaucoma
In the case of glaucoma, an important symptom is the occurrence of visual field defects. The field of vision is the space that we see around us.
At the initial stage of glaucoma, most often, there are markedly falling out small central areas of the field of vision, which the patient can not notice at all or notices in the form of dark spots with uneven outlines (if one tries to look with one eye).
With further development of glaucoma symptoms, the patient notes a steady narrowing of the peripheral boundaries of the visual field (patient well sees only the space, located directly in front of him, but does not see what happens on either side of him).
In the late stages of the disease, only tubular vision is preserved, in the form of a small picture (as if the patient were looking at the world through a long tube). In the terminal stage of glaucoma, vision disappears completely (full blindness develops).
Characteristic signs of glaucoma:
- impairment of visual function: slight blurred vision, the appearance before the eyes of the film and the so-called running points at the time of fatigue;
- pain in the eyes and in the temples;
- Rapid eye fatigue when reading, working at the computer.
The most common form of glaucoma is open-angle. Very often it is almost imperceptible for the patient. The eye looks normal, but watery moisture, without a normal outflow, accumulates in the eye, which leads to an increase in intraocular pressure. And this, perhaps, is the most unpleasant feature of the open-angle form - the disease progresses imperceptibly, and after all, without treatment, glaucoma sooner or later leads to a complete loss of vision.
Closed-angle glaucoma occurs in about 10% of cases. This form is characterized by acute attacks at which the intraocular pressure significantly increases - it can reach up to 60-80 mm Hg. post. There are severe pain in the eye, often accompanied by headaches, nausea, vomiting, general weakness. There is a sharp decrease in sight of the diseased eye. Acute closed-angle glaucoma is difficult to diagnose: it is often mistaken for toothache, migraine, influenza, meningitis, stomach disease, as patients complain of nausea, headaches, etc., with no eyes mentioned.
Diagnostics
To understand, than to treat glaucoma it is necessary to undergo timely diagnostics.
The leading value in it is the definition of indicators of intracranial pressure with the help of tonometry or elastotonomy. The quality of the outflow of intraocular fluid in glaucoma is studied through the use of electronic tonography.
The perimetry for measuring the boundaries of vision, as well as gonioscopy, also have a high value in the diagnosis of the disease. With the help of the last named method, the structures of the anterior chamber of the eye are examined. Identify qualitative and quantitative disorders in the structure of the optic nerves allows the use of scanning laser ophthalmoscopy.
Each of these methods is highly informative, so only one of them can be used dynamically to monitor the effectiveness of the treatment of ailment.
Prevention of glaucoma
Prevention is the early detection of the disease. After 40 years, every person needs to undergo a preventive examination with an ophthalmologist at least once or twice a year. This is especially important for patients with hyperopia, hereditary glaucoma and after eye operations.
Patients with glaucoma should comply with the regime of work and rest, metered physical activity is not contraindicated, harmful habits are excluded, You can not drink plenty of fluids, wear clothes that can obstruct blood flow in the head area (tight ties, collars).
Treatment of glaucoma
The first thing to treat glaucoma begins with the use of medications that reduce intraocular pressure. This, unfortunately, the traditional approach to the treatment of the disease has serious shortcomings. Very often drugs can not provide a sufficient level of pressure reduction. With prolonged use, the effectiveness of medicines can be reduced.
Eye drops must be instilled at strictly prescribed intervals of time, which is not always possible and greatly complicates the life of the patient. In addition, drugs that reduce intraocular pressure, worsen the already reduced blood flow to the eye, and often have such side effects like progression of an already existing cataract, narrowing of the pupil, progressive narrowing of the visual fields.
It is quite obvious and proven that with the help of medications, glaucoma is not cured: the fight is not with the disease, but only with the symptom. Moreover, the struggle is very, very expensive. In this regard, the expediency and even the need for surgical treatment of glaucoma is recognized by most domestic and foreign ophthalmologists.
How to treat glaucoma with a laser?
If treatment with medicinal products does not give the desired effect or if a diagnosis is made of "closed angle glaucoma", the patient is prescribed laser treatment.
This became possible not so long ago, after the creation of modern ophthalmic laser installations with a certain set of parameters that affect the structure of the eyeball. This allowed us to develop and apply a variety of methods for laser treatment of glaucoma.
Laser treatment of glaucoma has several advantages: first, low traumatic procedure, and secondly, the complete absence of serious complications that may occur in the postoperative period, thirdly, the possibility of treatment on an outpatient basis, which significantly affects the economy, the possibility if necessary, repeat laser interventions, with a significant reduction in the hypotensive effect in the postoperative period.
The most popular methods of laser treatment:
- trabeculoplasty;
- iridectomy;
- gonioplasty;
- trabeculopuncture (activation of outflow);
- descemetogonioopuncture;
- transscleral cyclophobic coagulation (contact and non-contact).
Surgical treatment consists in the creation of an alternative system of outflow of intraocular fluid, after which the intraocular pressure normalizes without the use of medications.
Different forms and types of glaucoma suggest a difference in surgical operation and are solved, individually, each time. An exception is congenital glaucoma in children, this form of the disease is treated only by surgical methods.
Drops from glaucoma
When treating this disease, you must prescribe medications in the form of eye drops. They are designed to reduce the level of intraocular pressure. Depending on their impact, they all fall into three main groups:
- Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors and adrenoblockers. These are drops that reduce the volume of intraocular fluid. Often appoint trusopt, timolol, as well as Betoptik.
- Eye drops that help to normalize the outflow from the tissues of the eyeball. These include drugs - xalatan, travatan, as well as pilocarpine.
- Combined, double action. To such medicinal preparations carry eye drops proksofilin, fotil, etc.
Be careful! Eye drops for the treatment of glaucoma should be used only on the recommendation of the attending physician, with regular monitoring of the level of intraocular pressure.
How to treat glaucoma with folk remedies
How to get rid of this insidious disease? If we talk about medical care, then here, either medicines, most often drops, or surgery. But we'll leave it to the doctors, we are more interested in the treatment of glaucoma at home, is not it?
It should be noted that there are many effective ways of treating people's methods and methods. Of course, they should be taken in conjunction with the drugs that the doctor appointed. Here are a few popular recipes for the treatment of glaucoma that can be used at home.
- Prepare 1 liter of fresh juice of the lice, add 100 ml of alcohol and put it on the refrigerator for several hours. Take the tincture twice a day before meals to 50 ml.
- Pour a teaspoon of dill seeds with a glass of boiling water and boil for 2-3 minutes. Then remove the broth from the plate, cover and insist 50-60 minutes. Take three times a day for 50 ml 30 minutes before meals.
- You need to take a tablespoon of honey, half a tablespoon of onion juice, a tablespoon of dandelion juice. All mixed well and put in a dark place for three hours. The resulting mixture should be instilled in the eye. Do this two or three times a day. The dosage is 2 drops.
- The Kalanchoe juice is used to treat many eye diseases. This plant will help us with glaucoma. Extrude the juice from the Kalanchoe, dilute with distilled water in a ratio of 1: 1, add natural honey (at the rate of ¼ of the total amount of the mixture), and cook in a water bath for 5-7 minutes. The cooled drug is used to instill eyes.
- Pour 1 tablespoon of cleanly washed and chopped herbs duckweed with a small glass of vodka, insist 4 days, strain. Take tincture of 20 drops with 2-3 tablespoons of water 2-3 times a day. You can use duckweed in fresh form with an equal amount of honey 1 teaspoon 2 times a day.
- Exercises for the eyes. Relax, close your eyes and close your eyes 7-10 times. Repeat 3-5 times. 2. Perform circular eye movements 3. Go to the window and draw a dot on the glass. To look then at her, then at a remote object outside the window. For each object to look for 10-15 seconds
It should be understood that folk remedies can not be cured by glaucoma. It is necessary to consult a specialist. Treatment of glaucoma is complex and should include antihypertensive therapy with pharmacological drugs, surgical methods, as well as correction of hemodynamic and metabolic disorders with the help of medications and physiotherapy
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