Glaucoma is a slowly progressive eye disease that causes irreversible vision loss. The risk for glaucoma increases with age, is more common in African Americans, and is more prevalent in those with diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea. Having a family history of glaucoma also increases your risk of developing the disease.
Individuals with glaucoma may experience vision loss so slowly that they may not even recognize the changes. Glaucoma is commonly referred to as the “silent thief of sight” because you can still have 20/20 vision and have glaucoma. An annual eye exam can help monitor your sight for the subtle changes caused by glaucoma, catching signs of the disease before you notice any problems. This is why regularly scheduled eye exams are so important. Sixty-five million people worldwide are affected by glaucoma.
What Is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is an umbrella term that refers to a family of eye diseases that all involve damage to the optic nerve.
The optic nerve sends all of our visual images from our eyes to our brain. When this nerve is damaged, the transmission between the eye and the brain becomes disrupted, and vision loss occurs.
Thankfully, glaucoma usually progresses slowly. If it is undiagnosed and not treated appropriately, it will continue to worsen. It typically affects the peripheral (or side vision) initially. Left untreated, it can start to affect your central vision as well.
The sooner glaucoma is diagnosed, the sooner treatment can be initiated, and the less vision loss will occur. If it is not diagnosed early and treated appropriately, severe vision loss can occur and could be permanent.
What Causes Glaucoma?
High intraocular pressure is the most common cause of optic nerve damage in glaucoma. Inside the eye, there is a constant production, circulation, and drainage of fluid, and this is what maintains the pressure inside the eye.
When the pressure inside the eye gets too high, it puts increased pressure on the optic nerve, causing the damage. It is important to note that this pressure is confined to the eye. It is not a pressure you can physically feel and can only be evaluated with specialized testing called tonometry.
In those who have glaucoma, there is a disruption within the internal drainage system of the eye, causing the pressure to rise to a level that is no longer safe. You can think about this like a sink. If the sink is running, but the drain is clogged, you are going to have more fluid build up, increasing the pressure.
You may be wondering what causes the drain to clog and increase the intraocular pressure? Remember, glaucoma is a family of eye diseases. The most common type of glaucoma is caused by age-related changes. In these cases, the drainage system malfunctions over time and doesn’t drain properly. It is not caused by something you did or something you didn’t do; it just unfortunately occurs in some people.
In other cases, the drainage system of the eye can be blocked by pigment, dandruff-like protein fibers, trauma, inflammation or developmental anomalies. There are over 80 types of glaucoma.
How Is Glaucoma Treated?
Once glaucoma is diagnosed, treatment can begin. Treatment options include long-term eye drops, laser procedures, or surgery.
Eye drops are the first option for treatment. These drops lower the pressure inside the eye and must be taken daily. Depending on the type of glaucoma eye drop you are prescribed, you may have to take the eye drop more than once per day. If the drops are not used, the eye pressure will rise again, and glaucoma will continue to progress. It is absolutely essential to use the drops as prescribed.
Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT) is another option to reduce intraocular pressure. This procedure opens up the drainage system in the eye to help reduce the pressure. The laser helps the drain stay open for many years, and it can be repeated if the eye pressure ever starts to increase again.
The last treatment is reserved for more severe, late-stage glaucoma in which physical hardware can be placed within the eye to help reduce the eye pressure.
Early detection is one of the most effective ways to protect your vision from glaucoma. Even if your vision seems normal, annual comprehensive eye exams allow your optometrist to detect glaucoma at its earliest stages.