Glaucoma is an eye disease that can stealthily creep up inside your eyes without any clear signs. That is the reason it is frequently referred to as the silent thief of sight. The ailment has no early symptoms. What it essentially means is that most people fail to realize they are suffering from glaucoma until it is too late.
The eye condition typically causes permanent nerve damage and may even lead to vision loss. As per Glaucoma Research Foundation, despite advancements in eye treatments and technologies, glaucoma continues to be a major cause of blindness globally. It is believed to be responsible for 9% to 12% of cases, afflicting nearly 5.9 million individuals. It makes glaucoma the second biggest cause of blindness worldwide, with the first one being cataract.
Who Can Get Glaucoma?
Glaucoma can affect just anyone. However, some people are at a higher risk of glaucoma than others. The eye condition can even affect children. Here are the risk factors:
- High intraocular pressure (pressure inside eye)
- Aged above 55
- Family history of glaucoma
- African, Hispanic, or Asian descent
- Some medical conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, migraine, and sickle cell anaemia
- Thin corneas
- Extreme nearsightedness (myopia) or farsightedness (hyperopia)
- Eye injury
- Some types of eye surgery
- Taking corticosteroid medications, particularly eye drops, for a extended periods
Regular Eye Examinations
Since glaucoma has no initial symptoms – it catches people unaware, regular eye examinations are critical. Those who compromise with regular exams actually compromise with their vision because you might have glaucoma without any clue. You do not experience any pain in the early stages, nor are there any vision problems. The only way to identify glaucoma is by getting a proper diagnosis from an expert eye doctor.
Glaucoma is a progressive ailment that keeps getting worse with time. Regular eye checkups will allow your healthcare provider to diagnose the disease and begin your treatment. If detected early, it is possible to treat the condition. Timely treatment can help safeguard you from the potential threat of vision loss.
When Glaucoma is Left Untreated: Consequences
If glaucoma is not treated, it continues to develop, resulting in high pressure in the eye. This increased pressure damages the optic nerve – the nerve responsible for sending visual information from your eye to your brain. When the optic nerve gets damaged, it impairs your vision. The vision loss is irreversible. It means that when glaucoma is not treated on time, the patient can potentially go blind. The vision loss usually starts at the sides of the patient’s field of vision.
Thus, it is the peripheral vision that initially suffers the effects. Over time, the central vision gets blurred, and finally, the patient becomes blind. If a person is detected with glaucoma, they will most likely need glaucoma treatment all their life.
Optic Nerve Evaluation
During routine eye examinations, eye doctors examine the optic nerve for signs of glaucoma. People who have a family history of the disease are advised to get a comprehensive evaluation of the optic nerve on a regular basis. An experienced ophthalmologist will be able to diagnose the ailment in the beginning stages.
The eye specialist can then devise a treatment plan to keep the eye pressure under control – in order to prevent nerve damage. Timely treatment and making sure you attend the follow-up visits religiously will help maintain your vision.
Choosing Treatment Options
Your eye specialist will advise the best treatment for your eye problem. There are different treatment options, such as use of medications, laser treatment, and glaucoma surgery. Then, there are different types of medicines, laser treatments, and surgical interventions.
| Treatment Option | Explanation | Specifics |
| Medication | The first line of treatment against glaucoma, they work by reducing intraocular pressure (IOP). | – Eye drops – Oral medicines |
| Laser Treatment | Laser treatment helps by either unclogging the blocked drainage tubes or by reducing the quantity of fluid produced in the eye. | – Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT) – YAG Laser Peripheral Iridotomy (PI) – Cyclophotocoagulation |
| Glaucoma Surgery | If medications and laser surgery do not prove effective, surgery is then done to manage glaucoma. | – Trabeculectomy – Glaucoma Drainage Devices (GDDs) – Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) |
The Bottom Line
Glaucoma, being the silent thief of sight, does not have any warning signs in the early stages. That means it progresses slowly to deprive the patient from being able to see clearly. It could even lead to irreversible blindness. Moreover, it is not age-specific because it can afflict children too.
Hence, regular comprehensive eye checkups are necessary for people of all ages, particularly if you fall in the high risk category. Routine eye exams are the only way to safeguard vision from getting affected by glaucoma. The fact about glaucoma is that – Early detection is the only protection!
Sohana Eye Hospital, the most reputed eye hospital in Chandigarh has highly experienced eye specialists and the most advanced glaucoma treatment to protect people from losing their vision to glaucoma. With more than 30 years of excellence in the eyecare domain, the hospital is committed to delivering par-excellence services each day.
