Loss of eyesight impacts every single aspect of daily life. In past eras, those who went blind without benefit of social safety nets often ended life as beggars. While that is usually no longer the case, diseases like glaucoma still exact a severe personal toll, and still can result in visual impairment if not found and treated in the early stages. Glaucoma San Antonio patients continue fighting this scourge using medical advances and education.
Glaucoma commonly attacks both eyes, and is characterized by ever-increasing liquid pressure within those orbs. Fluids regularly drain under normal circumstances, which allows internal pressure to remain balanced. If that natural process is blocked, internal forces slowly build, often causing permanent damage to nearby ocular structures, including the optic nerve. The two most common types are called open and closed angle.
Victims may not be aware of a developing problem because the symptoms of open angle glaucoma have a gradual onset. Over time, nerve damage results in a loss of peripheral vision that may go unnoticed for years. In the later stages, all vision is affected, and restricted to a narrow, tunnel-like space directly in front. The closed-angle variety causes more immediate problems, and has more noticeable symptoms.
Those signs include eye pain accompanied by blurred images, sometimes causing nausea and vomiting. Lights seem surrounded by halos, and adjusting to different illumination levels becomes difficult. Advancing age increases the probability of developing this disease, which can also affect people with specific genetic backgrounds, those who have had recent eye surgery, and people already dealing with other illnesses.
Early diagnosis is the key to successful long-term treatment. Standard eye exams for glasses include simple, painless pressure testing, and can quickly detect unnaturally high readings. Gonioscopy is another diagnostic tool that helps determine the extend of blockage in the angle between cornea and iris. Lateral vision deterioration is tested using perimetry equipment, and there are measurements to determine optic nerve damage.
If an exam has uncovered problems, it is vital that treatment begin as soon as possible. While no form of this degenerative condition can be completely cured, progression can be slowed or halted. Even though damage cannot be reversed, the most common therapy includes eye-drops containing prostaglandin analogues, beta blockers, fluid inhibitors, or drugs to stimulate flow.
In cases that do no respond to eye drops, surgery may be the best option. Drainage passages can be effectively unblocked using lasers, while other patients show progress when treated with filters that help relieve internal eye pressure. In some cases aqueous shunt implants are installed. A victim of acute-angle glaucoma is treated as an emergency requiring immediate drug therapy and surgery.
Sufferers in San Antonio TX realize the importance of testing and treatment to combat the progression of this vision-robbing condition. Because there may be no apparent symptoms, only a vision specialist can detect the first signs of trouble. Technological advances in visual medicine have made detection simple and pain-free. Early diagnosis reduces the chance that long-term problems will develop.
Glaucoma commonly attacks both eyes, and is characterized by ever-increasing liquid pressure within those orbs. Fluids regularly drain under normal circumstances, which allows internal pressure to remain balanced. If that natural process is blocked, internal forces slowly build, often causing permanent damage to nearby ocular structures, including the optic nerve. The two most common types are called open and closed angle.
Victims may not be aware of a developing problem because the symptoms of open angle glaucoma have a gradual onset. Over time, nerve damage results in a loss of peripheral vision that may go unnoticed for years. In the later stages, all vision is affected, and restricted to a narrow, tunnel-like space directly in front. The closed-angle variety causes more immediate problems, and has more noticeable symptoms.
Those signs include eye pain accompanied by blurred images, sometimes causing nausea and vomiting. Lights seem surrounded by halos, and adjusting to different illumination levels becomes difficult. Advancing age increases the probability of developing this disease, which can also affect people with specific genetic backgrounds, those who have had recent eye surgery, and people already dealing with other illnesses.
Early diagnosis is the key to successful long-term treatment. Standard eye exams for glasses include simple, painless pressure testing, and can quickly detect unnaturally high readings. Gonioscopy is another diagnostic tool that helps determine the extend of blockage in the angle between cornea and iris. Lateral vision deterioration is tested using perimetry equipment, and there are measurements to determine optic nerve damage.
If an exam has uncovered problems, it is vital that treatment begin as soon as possible. While no form of this degenerative condition can be completely cured, progression can be slowed or halted. Even though damage cannot be reversed, the most common therapy includes eye-drops containing prostaglandin analogues, beta blockers, fluid inhibitors, or drugs to stimulate flow.
In cases that do no respond to eye drops, surgery may be the best option. Drainage passages can be effectively unblocked using lasers, while other patients show progress when treated with filters that help relieve internal eye pressure. In some cases aqueous shunt implants are installed. A victim of acute-angle glaucoma is treated as an emergency requiring immediate drug therapy and surgery.
Sufferers in San Antonio TX realize the importance of testing and treatment to combat the progression of this vision-robbing condition. Because there may be no apparent symptoms, only a vision specialist can detect the first signs of trouble. Technological advances in visual medicine have made detection simple and pain-free. Early diagnosis reduces the chance that long-term problems will develop.
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