What is a Glaucoma ?         

Glaucoma is a condition that damages your eye’s optic nerve.The optic nerve supplies visual information to your brain from your eyes. if left untreated, the patient may lose vision and even become blind.

What is a Causes of Glaucoma:-The fluid inside your eye, called aqueous humor, usually flows out of your eye through a mesh-like channel. If this channel gets blocked, the liquid builds up.

Experts are unsure of the precise causes of glaucoma, but cases are divided into two categories:

Primary glaucoma – this means that the cause is unknown.

Secondary glaucoma – the condition has a known cause, such as a tumor, diabetes, an advanced cataract, or inflammation.

Less-common causes of glaucoma include a blunt or chemical injury to your eye, severe eye infection, blocked blood vessels inside your eye, and inflammatory conditions.

• dilating eye drops
• blocked or restricted drainage in your eye
• medications, such as corticosteroids
• poor or reduced blood flow to your optic nerve
• high or elevated blood pressure

Patients on long-term corticosteroids have a raised risk of developing several different conditions, including glaucoma.

Types of glaucoma:-

There are two main types: open-angle and closed-angle glaucoma.

Closed-angle glaucoma (acute angle-closure glaucoma):-it can come on suddenly,the patient commonly experiences pain and rapid vision loss.

Primary open-angle glaucoma (chronic glaucoma):-that one type progresses very slowly. The patient may not feel any symptoms.

Low-tension glaucoma:-

 It might be due to reduced blood supply to the optic nerve.

Pigmentary glaucoma:-This is a type of open angle glaucoma and typically develops during early or middle adulthood.it can upset the normal flow of fluids in the eye, leading to a rise in eye pressure.

What are the symptoms of glaucoma?

Symptoms of primary open-angle glaucoma

• Peripheral vision is gradually lost. This nearly always affects both eyes.
• In advanced stages, the patient has tunnel vision.

Symptoms of closed angle glaucoma

• Eye pain, usually severe.
• Blurred vision.
• Eye pain is often accompanied by nausea and sometimes vomiting.
• Lights appear to have extra halo-like glows around them.
• Red eyes.
• Sudden, unexpected vision problems, especially when lighting is poor.

Glaucoma Diagnosis:-

Glaucoma tests are painless and don’t take long.They’ll check your optic nerve for signs of glaucoma.

Pachymetry Test

it can tell your doctor if your corneas are thinner than average.

Perimetry Test

it’s also known as a visual field test,you can tell your doctor if glaucoma is affecting your vision by measuring your peripheral, or side, vision and your central vision.

Monitoring Your Optic Nerve

they may take photographs of your optic nerve to conduct a side-by-side comparison over time.

How Is Glaucoma Treated?

Eyedrops for glaucoma

Examples of eyedrops include:

• prostaglandin analogues-
• carbonic anhydrase inhibitors
• cholinergic agents
• beta blockers

Surgery

Your doctor may use prescription eye drops, oral medications, laser surgery, or microsurgery to lower pressure in your eye.

Trabeculoplasty:- This opens the drainage area.

Cyclophotocoagulation:-This treats areas of the middle layer of your eye to lower fluid production.

Microsurgery:-This surgery can cause temporary or permanent vision loss, as well as bleeding or infection.

Open-angle glaucoma is most often treated with combinations of eye drops, laser trabeculoplasty, and microsurgery.

Infant or congenital glaucoma — meaning you are born with it is usually treated with surgery because the cause is a problem with your drainage system.