Timely treatment of glaucoma - the way to a good vision

Some eye diseases are very dangerous and can bring a person to complete blindness. One of these insidious ailments is glaucoma.The complexity of this disease is that in the early stages of glaucoma practically does not manifest itself and can be recognized only by an ophthalmologist. What are the causes and methods of treating glaucoma?

What it is?

Glaucoma (in the lane. from Greek - "the color of sea water "azure") - severe damage to the organ of vision. The disease got its name from a greenish coloration, which is acquired by an extended, immobile pupil at the stage of its highest development - an acute attack of glaucoma. The second name for this ailment is "green cataract".

Today, the term "glaucoma" is understood to mean a whole group of eye diseases (about 60), which are characterized by the following specific signs:

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• increased level of intraocular pressure (IOP);
• development of lesion and atrophy of optic nerve fibers (glaucoma optic neuropathy);
• a violation of visual functions.

Glaucoma can occur at any age, even at birth.However, most often the disease occurs in the elderly and senile age.So, after 40-45 years, primary glaucoma is observed in about y% of the population.In the age group of 50 years, the percentage of glaucoma development increases to,% of cases, and in people older than 75 years, more than 3% of cases.Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of incurable blindness.

Examination and diagnosis of glaucoma

Causes

Glaucoma is considered a multifactorial disease.This means that its development was served by a number of reasons, which together led to the emergence of ailment.Among the reasons, a special place is occupied by:

• heredity;
• individual features of the eye;
• abnormalities of the structure of the eye;
• pathology of the cardiovascular, nervous and endocrine systems.

Today, scientists believe that the development and progression of glaucoma is a consistent chain of factors risk, under the combined effect of which the mechanism triggering the onset of the disease is triggered.

At the same time, the mechanisms of disturbance of visual functions in the pathogenesis of glaucoma remain insufficiently studied to this day.

The structure of the eye of a healthy person

Experts believe that the main stages of the development of pathology in glaucoma are:

1. Disruption of outflow of watery moisture from the cavity of the eyeball.
2. Increased intraocular pressure(IOP) above the level tolerated for the eye.
3. Deterioration of blood circulation in the tissues of the eye.
4. Hypoxia(lack of oxygen) and ischemia (impaired blood supply) of tissues in the area of ​​the optic nerve exit.
5. Compression(compression) of nerve fibers in the zone of their exit from the eyeball, and then a violation of their function and death.
6. Dystrophy(disruption of nutrition), destruction (destruction) and atrophy of visual fibers, the disintegration of their maternal ganglion cells of the retina.
7. The development of glaucoma optic neuropathy and the subsequentatrophy (death) of the optic nerve.

Depending on the development of glaucoma, some of the nerve fibers of the optic nerve are atrophied, and some are in a state of parabiosis ("sleep"). This makes it possible to consider it possible to restore their function under the influence of treatment (medical or surgical).

Symptoms and Diagnosis

The primary manifestations of glaucoma in most cases are minimal.Most often the disease begins with the following symptoms:

• Periodically, there are pain in the head.
• Sometimes there is a fog before your eyes.
• The patient sees iridescent spots and circles when looking at a glowing lamp.

It is at the first symptoms that you should seek help from an ophthalmologist.When untimely appeal to these symptoms, problems with visual acuity are added very quickly: myopia increases and twilight vision worsens.

The doctor will find a number of clinical manifestations of the disease upon examination:

• vasodilation;
• changes in the iris;
• the swelling of the cornea;
• reduction of the anterior chamber of the eye.

With such a picture, an ophthalmologist usually conducts tonicometry and special stress tests.

With congenital glaucoma, a neonatologist in a maternity hospital will pay attention to the following signs in the eyes of a newborn:

• dullness of the cornea;
• unusual photophobia;
• pronounced lacrimation.

According to the state of the optic nerve and the changes in the fields of vision, there are 4 stages of glaucoma:

• The first stage has minimal manifestations and rare episodes of an elevated ophthalmotonus.
• In the second stage, the fields of vision narrow and the optic nerve disk is affected.
• The third stage is a partial loss of vision.
• At the fourth stage only the light perception can be preserved, but the ability to see is completely lost.

Primary glaucoma is the most common type of disease associated with age-related changes in the eye. Secondary glaucoma appears as a consequence of other eye or general diseases, accompanied by damage to the eye structures involved in the circulation of intraocular moisture or its outflow from the eye.

Treatment

The glaucoma process is inexorably progressing, therefore, only the timely treatment can prevent complete blindness.There are two main methods of therapy for glaucoma: conservative and surgical treatment.

Medication Therapy

Drug therapy is possible only in the early stages of the disease.The main goal of the treatment is to reduce the severity of the ophthalmotonus. To do this, the doctor prescribes local antihypertensive drugs in the form of eye drops (betoptik, xalatan, pilocarpine).

One of the elements of conservative treatment should be medicines that dilate blood vessels (cavinton, nikoshpan) and improve intraocular metabolic processes (aminalon, riboxin).

If glaucoma is of a secondary nature, then an effective treatment of the underlying disease as a cause of increased intraocular pressure will be required.

Drugs for the treatment of glaucoma in the early stages

Surgery

In most cases, congenital and occlusive forms of glaucoma require surgery.The operation will also be the only solution with insufficient effectiveness from drug treatment.

High efficiency of the operation with the use of laser and microsurgical techniques, in which removal of obstacles is made and optimal conditions are created for the exchange of watery moisture in the drainage system of the eye.

Example of laser treatment for the treatment of glaucoma

The main goal of laser treatment is normalization of outflow of intraocular fluid and reduction of intraocular pressure.The essence of the operation is reduced to the application of local micro-burns (lasers-coagulators) or to the provocation of a microblast, accompanied by rupture of surrounding tissues (lasers-destructors).The laser technique can be used autonomously or as an addition to a microsurgical operation.

Advantages of laser treatment:

• restoration of natural outflow of liquid;
• non-invasiveness and a small percentage of complications;
• operation in an outpatient setting;
• affordable cost;
• short rehabilitation period.

Despite many advantages, laser treatment of glaucoma does not suit everyone. This operation is possible only with good condition and normal thickness of the cornea of ​​the eye. In the late stages of glaucoma, when the eye formed a large number of scar tissue, the effect of laser exposure is very low.

Complications

After the laser surgery, complications such as:

• occurrence of a reactive syndrome;
• the possibility of the development of inflammation;
• probability of damage to the lens capsule, small iris vessels and corneal endothelial cells;
• cicatricial fusion in the area of ​​exposure.

These complications are infrequent and serve as exceptions to the general rule.Today, laser treatment of glaucoma is considered the only highly effective method in the early stages of the disease.If the medication is ineffective, the laser helps to maintain vision and avoid a complicated microsurgical operation in the future.

Prevention

Most often, glaucoma develops after 40 years. Beginning from this age, each person should undergo annual prophylactic examinations from the oculist with mandatory measurement of intraocular pressure.

To the doctor it is necessary to address at once at any problems with eyes, especially traumatic and inflammatory character.In most cases, an untimely visit to a doctor causes a hidden course of the disease and, as a consequence, irreversible changes in the organs of vision.

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The white of the eye is red - this is a symptom of many diseases, beginning with an allergic reaction and ending with more serious diseases, such as iridocyclitis.

Advantages and disadvantages of night vision contact lenses read in this article.

Treatment of glaucoma in the elderly: http://eyesdocs.ru/zabolevaniya/glaukoma/glaukoma-kak-izbezhat-slepoty-v-pozhilom-vozraste.html

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conclusions

As you can see, glaucoma is a dangerous disease.In view of the fact that the signs of glaucoma practically do not manifest for a long time, one should visit the ophthalmologist for preventive purposes and annually measure the intraocular pressure.Treatment of glaucoma, as you have already understood, is quite difficult and often requires surgical intervention. Only such a responsible approach to one's health can help a person maintain visual acuity to a very old age.