Can glaucoma be stopped?
Glaucoma is well known of and widely recognizable once it hits a certain stage. The eyes can become visibly cloudy, often recognized in older dogs more so than humans. The tricky part about glaucoma is the fact that the eye condition often worsens without any symptoms, causing progressive vision loss and can lead to blindness if left untreated. This means many people do not even realize they have glaucoma in the early stages.
Of course, the sooner glaucoma is detected the better off the prognosis will be. Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in people ages 40 and older. Can glaucoma be stopped? When caught early, you can typically avoid severe vision loss. It is important to note that damage from the disease is irreversible. If left untreated, glaucoma can cause blindness, but thankfully with early detection, regular examination, and consistent treatment, glaucoma can be managed.
If treatment is not initiated in enough time vision loss will start at the periphery and progress to the central vision eventually leading to total blindness. Treatment for glaucoma is designed to lower your eye pressure, improve fluid drainage, or reduce fluid production. Any damage that occurs before the treatment is initiated is not able to be reversed. The treatment is designed to mitigate further damage and vision loss.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for glaucoma. Therefore, glaucoma can not be stopped completely. The best way to slow the progression of this condition is to improve lifestyle habits and stick to your plan of care prescribed by your doctor.
What is glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a disease that if left untreated can lead to irreversible vision loss from damage done to the optic nerve. The most common form of glaucoma happens as a result of increased pressure in the fluid of the eye, known as increased intraocular pressure. There have even been instances of glaucoma reported where people have experienced optic nerve damage when the intraocular pressure has been normal, this is why it is so important to get regular eye exams.
What is the cause of glaucoma?
The exact cause of glaucoma is still unknown. We do know that the main contributing factor is a blockage of passages that normally allow the fluid within your eye to drain. When this happens the build up of fluid in the eye can put damaging pressure on the optic nerve that can, if left untreated, lead to loss of vision. The nerve fibers and blood vessels in the eye are very fragile and can be easily damaged by this change in pressure causing vision loss to occur.
Although glaucoma tends to be a genetic disorder, it can happen to anyone. The disease is characterized by having too much pressure in the eye caused by fluid buildup. This clear fluid, known as aqueous humor, continuously flows through the inner eye. If your eye’s natural drainage system is not functioning properly, or excess fluid is produced, there is buildup that causes pressure in the inner eye. This can eventually damage the optic nerve, which is what allows us to see images clearly.
What are the symptoms of glaucoma?
We often call glaucoma the silent thief for its lack of noticeable symptoms that will damage eyesight without warning. Noticeable physical symptoms may not show up until it’s too late. Signs and symptoms will vary depending on the type of glaucoma you have. You may begin to develop blind spots, often starting in your side (peripheral) vision. If you have primary open-angle glaucoma, your first noticeable symptom may be vision loss.
If you have acute-angle closure glaucoma, your first sign may be blurred vision. You may also notice rings or halos around lights and eyes that get red and feel strained often. Since the vision loss from glaucoma is typically gradual, the disease often goes unnoticed until the optic nerve is significantly damaged.
Testing for glaucoma is always part of a complete eye exam. It is important to come in for regular eye exams so that we can establish a history record that enables us to easily detect changes. At Perich Eye Center, we are highly trained to recognize and test for glaucoma. We use a painless procedure called tonometry to measure the internal pressure of your eye.
What are the different types of glaucoma?
There are two types of glaucoma:
1.) Open-Angle Glaucoma: Open angle glaucoma is the most common form and gradually develops over time. This results from an imbalance between the aqueous fluid and drainage system, causing fluid buildup and abnormal eye pressure. This form of glaucoma affects 70-90% of people with this diagnosis and results from a gradual rise in intraocular pressure due to a blockage in the trabecular meshwork of the eye.
2.) Angle-Closure Glaucoma: Acute angle closure glaucoma (also called narrow-angle glaucoma), is a less common form of glaucoma that occurs when the iris of the eye arches forward, creating a sudden blockage of the fluid drainage system. This type of glaucoma is characterized by sudden pain in the eye, often accompanied by blurry vision, nausea, and vomiting. Acute angle closure glaucoma requires immediate treatment.
What is the prognosis for glaucoma?
Each type of glaucoma has its own prognosis-
Acute glaucoma:
If an episode of acute glaucoma is treated early enough, there is a good chance that the vision in the affected eye will be able to be recovered at a high percentage of what it was before. However if neglected, or not treated properly blindness can occur within two days or less.
Open-angle glaucoma:
Prognosis for Open-angle glaucoma is dependent on how well a person sticks to their eye drop and medication plan of care. If neglected, blindness can occur.
What are my options if I need surgery for my glaucoma?
The need for surgery to treat your glaucoma will be determined by one of our doctors at Perich Eye Center. Depending on the type you have, we will recommend one of these options:
Trabeculectomy: This involves the doctor putting a tiny cut on the white part of the eye to let fluid build up drain which can be either a Xen Stent or an Ahmed Shunt.
Cyclophotocoagulation: This may be a suitable option if others are not recommended. A small laser is used in multiple settings to relieve pressure within the eye.
SLT (Selective laser trabeculoplasty):
In this laser surgery, the doctor will use a highly targeted but low-level laser on the spots where there’s a pressure build up. Is SLT painful? No, cold laser technology opens up blocked drainage ducts in a way that minimizes discomfort as well as scar tissue development. We will discuss how long it may take for you to see results after your SLT procedure at one of your pre-surgical appointments. Depending on the severity of your condition, results can be seen in as little as one month.
We will discuss how long it may take for you to see results after your SLT procedure at one of your pre-surgical appointments. Depending on the severity of your condition, results can be seen in as little as one month. Compared to some glaucoma medications, SLT offers better side effect rates, with only mild inflammation reported by post-operative SLT patients. Inflammation following SLT is managed with eye drops or NSAIDS.
SLT typically lasts for one to five years. In some cases the benefits of SLT last for more than five years. In rare cases, SLT patients may see a return of glaucoma-based pressure in their eyes within 6 to 12 months of surgery. If this happens, we will continue to work with you to find other workable options for your care.
Some glaucoma patients find that SLT controls intraocular pressure completely. Others may need to take glaucoma medication as a supplement to glaucoma laser surgery. While Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty should not be considered as a glaucoma cure, SLT can definitely help reduce the severity of intraocular pressure.
What resources are available to help people with glaucoma and their caregivers?
Today we are lucky to have many vision resources at our fingertips. Please visit this directory for vision resources to find any help you or a caretaker may need. Each state provides organizational resources which help people find therapists and vision rehabilitation centers where you can learn to modify your environment and work with using the area of your vision that still remains. You can also use vision aids such as magnifiers and readers. You can also incorporate household items with larger numbers and talking features. Reading materials with large print and audio materials are also helpful.
No matter what type of glaucoma you have, here at Perich Eye Centers we will be sure to take the best possible care of you and your eyes. Any time you start to notice any changes to your vision, you should always make it a priority to have an eye exam from an experienced doctor. Although you may not have glaucoma, you could have a variety of other ailments that also are always best to be caught early. If you have been noticing changes, no matter when your last exam was, feel free to contact us today to schedule an appointment by clicking here for our contact form.
