Glaucoma and cataract: how they are interrelated

Glaucoma and cataracts are the most common eye diseases that usually develop in old age. Sometimes they can accompany each other, but in varying degrees of severity. Cataract is treated with surgery, but with glaucoma is much more difficult to fight. It is very important to identify the problem at an early stage, so we will tell you what is this glaucoma and cataract, what symptoms are typical for these diseases, and how to treat them correctly.

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a chronic disease characterized by increased intraocular pressure. Because of this, the nerve fibers that go to the eyes are destroyed, which leads to a decrease in vision or blindness.

There are risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing glaucoma:

• Farsightedness;
• Myopia;
• Larger lens;
• Eye with anterior chamber of small size;
• Small cornea;
• Decreased glucose tolerance;
• Diabetes.

Glaucoma can be congenital, primary or secondary.

Varieties of primary glaucoma:

• Open angle glaucoma.High intraocular pressure is caused by a violation of outflow of fluid through the drainage system.
• Closed-angle glaucoma.The filtering zone of the eye ceases to remove moisture due to blockade of the anterior chamber.
• Mixed glaucoma.It combines the signs of the first two forms.

Symptoms

Symptoms of glaucoma are divided into three groups.

The first group includes symptoms that can be observed in other eye diseases. They are not specific specifically for glaucoma, but their presence indicates that there are some visual problems.

Symptoms:

• Appearance of "flies" before the eyes;
• Eyes quickly get tired.

Symptoms of the second group are more characteristic for this disease. These include:

• The appearance of fog before your eyes.It occurs because of the corneal edema, when there is an increase in pressure inside the eyes. Fogging appears periodically and can last several minutes or hours.
• Headache.If glaucoma affects only one eye, then the pulsating pain is concentrated in the temporal region from the side of the problem eye. In the case of glaucoma in both eyes, the pain manifests itself periodically and for no reason.
• Iridescent circles.They appear when a person looks at the light source. Iridescent circles arise because of corneal edema. It should be remembered that this symptom is also characteristic of conjunctivitis, but in this case the rainbow disappears immediately after removal of the eye discharge.

Medical examination for the presence of glaucoma in the elderly

Symptoms of the third group indicate the presence of glaucoma in almost a hundred percent of cases. This group includes such signs of glaucoma as:

• Abundant discharge of tear fluid.This is how latent glaucoma manifests itself at an early stage. Lachrymation begins due to the disruption of the normal circulation of the intraocular fluid in the tissues.
• Seeming moisturizing of the eyes.This is the most characteristic symptom. With an apparent moistening, a person seems to have a tear in his eye, he wants to wipe it with a handkerchief, but after wiping his eyes he remains dry. This is due to the fact that the pressure inside the eye has increased.

At an early stage, glaucoma manifests itself as fogging, rainbow circles, headaches, "flies" appear, and the eyes get tired faster. But these symptoms can be confused with other eye diseases, so it's very important to see a doctor right away to reveal glaucoma and start treatment faster.

Treatment

The treatment of glaucoma is aimed at maintaining visual acuity. It consists in reducing the intraocular pressure to a normal level.

The doctor, when choosing the methods of treatment, should take into account quite a few aspects: the age of the patient, his heredity, the state of the optic nerve, the fields of vision and the peripapillary zone.And also the presence of myopia, hypotension, migraine, cardiovascular diseases and so on.

Scheme of laser iridectomy of glaucoma

Treatment of glaucoma can be carried out in three ways:

1. With the help of medications;
2. Surgical operation;
3. Using laser techniques.

The most common therapy for glaucoma is the treatment with medications.The doctor selects the medicine depending on its clinical effectiveness. Depending on their properties, the preparations are divided into reducing watery moisture products and improving the outflow of moisture.

If the medications do not help, and the pressure in the eyes is still high, the patient is given an operation. Its appearance depends on the stage of the disease. The purpose of surgical intervention is to create a new channel through which the liquid will circulate. The operation is performed under local anesthesia, so the person does not feel pain.After the operation, the patient may feel temporary discomfort.

The operation can not completely cure glaucoma, its action is directed only at stopping the progression of the disease and normalizing intraocular pressure. Therefore, the re-operation in the case of glaucoma is not excluded.

Laser treatment has more advantages than the other two methods of treatment:

• The outflow of moisture occurs along natural paths;
• No need to perform general anesthesia;
• The rehabilitation period is short;
• There are no complications that occur after surgical operations.

Laser surgery is considered the most effective and safe. The effect may occur by the end of the day after the operation.

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What is cataract

Cataract is an eye disease characterized by a clouding of the lens.

Cataract occurs both in children and adults.Pediatric cataract may be congenital or be a concomitant disease of Down syndrome, Marfan syndrome and so on.If a woman during pregnancy has suffered a viral or bacterial infection, then there is a probability of developing a cataract in a future child.

In adults, cataracts can develop due to problems with hormones, kidneys, diabetes, calcium deficiency, inflammation and eye injuries and so on.

Age cataract is a clouding of the lens in old age. In this case, it develops due to a violation of metabolism, the wear and tear of the organism as a whole. Exchange products can be deposited in the lens, so it loses its transparency and turns yellow or brown.

Cataract can proceed in different ways:

1. Changes in the lens for many years remain unchanged (congenital cataracts).
2. The disease progresses with time.

Symptoms

The main symptom by which you can recognize cataracts is a vision disorder. In the early stages of the decline in vision is not very noticeable, so someone has an initial stage can take several years, and someone is much faster.

The lens becomes turbid, swells and increases. Often this is accompanied by increased intraocular pressure, that is glaucoma.

Other symptoms of cataract:

• Glasses do not help to deal with the vagueness of the image;
• Vision changes in the direction of myopia;
• Before your eyes there are glare, flashes, which happen even at night;
• Eyes become sensitive to light, haloes appear;
• The image in the eyes is double;
• The color perception is violated.

Treatment

In the early stages of cataracts, medication can be given.It is aimed at the normalization of the metabolism in the lens. There are three groups of drugs:

1. Directed on the normalization of the exchange of electrolytes, the decrease in the dehydration of the lens.
2. Directed on the normalization of metabolic processes in the lens.
3. Directed on the normalization of the redox balance in the lens.

The only effective way to treat cataracts is surgical removal of a cloudy lens

It should be remembered that there are no drugs that could completely cure cataracts. They can only slow the progression of the disease.

Only a doctor will be able to choose a suitable medication taking into account the causes of cataracts.

Effectively help cope with cataracts only surgery, consisting in replacing the lens with an artificial one. Types of operations:

• Extracapsular extraction.A cut is made on the cornea and the lens is removed without a capsule. After that, the artificial lens is implanted. Vision normalizes a maximum of a month, but the seams can be removed only after three to four months.
• Intracapsular extraction.Carried out in a similar way, but with the removal of the capsule. Such an operation is prescribed rarely and according to indications, since there is a high probability of detachment of the retina.

Replacement of the lens

Replacement of the lens will help cure cataracts, but if the operation is not done on time, then the person will go blind.

There are several other methods for replacing the lens:

1. Lensectomy.The operation is aimed at refractive replacement of the lens. It is appointed in the case when the accommodation is completely disrupted. Lensectomy is contraindicated in people with ocular inflammation, as well as those who have had a heart attack or stroke. The operation lasts twenty-five minutes under local anesthesia.
2. Phacosection.The operation is done through a cut, no special equipment is required. With this method of lens replacement, the probability of complications is practically reduced to zero.

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Cataract as a consequence of glaucoma

Cataract as a consequence of glaucoma can occur as a result of the fact that the lens of the eye becomes cloudy, swells and increases in size.Sometimes this can be supplemented by increased intraocular pressure, that is glaucoma.

Both these diseases can be present simultaneously, but their degree of severity will be different.For example, if a person has a high grade cataract, then glaucoma will be in the initial stage.And if the glaucoma is expressed strongly, then the cataract will have an initial stage.

Reviews of people who cured glaucoma

Tatyana

Two years ago, I was diagnosed with "primary angle-closure glaucoma." The doctor immediately recommended doing a laser operation. The operation was easy. They only do local anesthesia with lidocaine, so it did not hurt at all. Now my eyesight is normal, I regularly check.

Victoria

It used to be treated with drops, they lowered the pressure well, but then it suddenly rose sharply, and I was sent for surgery. I had an operation on both eyes. At first I was afraid of side effects, but everything went fine.

Kirill

My father had mixed glaucoma, his eyesight dropped heavily. We found a clinic where they perform a laser operation. Consulted with a doctor, he advised to do the operation. It's been six months now, and my father does not complain about eye problems.

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conclusions

Glaucoma and cataracts are very dangerous diseases, because of which a person can completely lose sight. Remember that if you find the first signs of glaucoma and cataracts, you should not postpone the trip to the ophthalmologist. It is better to begin to be treated earlier than to fight the consequences. Take care of your eyes, relate to them carefully, and then you will have good eyesight!

Read also what drops for cataracts are best used.