Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of permanent blindness around the world that is preventable. This disease takes away the sense of sight slowly and there are no warning signs most of the time. The damage caused is permanent and cannot be reversed. With the correct eye care there will be little vision loss. Glaucoma is caused by the pressure inside the eye being elevated causing lack of blood flow to the optic nerve, thereby causing the vision loss. There are two main types of glaucoma. There is chronic simple (open-angle) and acute (angle-closure).
In chronic simple, the pressure in the eye goes up gradually and vision loss will be over a period of years. In acute the pressure goes up rapidly and medical treatment is needed to preserve the vision. The more common of the two is chronic simple or open-angle. The nerve cells that are lost due to glaucoma are called ganglion cells. Each of these cells has a long fiber that connects it to the brain. As these cells die, the nerve fibers are then lost. When this happens, the nerve fiber layer gets thinner. This causes an empty space in the optic nerve, which is the “cup” of the optic nerve, to become larger until the nerve is completely gone.
This is what the ophthalmologist goes by to determine the amount of damage caused by this disease. (Ritch, and Liebmann, alt. support. glaucoma, 2002). The definition that is in the encyclopedia is as follows: “an eye disease caused by raised pressure inside the eye. ” (Webster’s Family Encyclopedia, 1989, vol. 5 p. 107). Glaucoma is the result of a variety of diseases. Bacteria, viral or degenerative factors, do not cause glaucoma. It is caused from a combination of anything that stops the blood flow from getting to the eye and the optic nerve.
A progressive optic neuropathy is characterized by a specific pattern of optic nerve head and visual field damage. It is a disease of the optic nerve. This nerve is what sends visual information from the eye to the brain, which in turn allows us to see. For the most part, damage will progress very slowly over a number of years. This progression can also be rapid. Glaucoma is a final common pathway, which results from many conditions that can affect the eye. As this damage goes on, the person will lose vision. This loss of vision normally starts with the peripheral vision and work toward the central and reading vision.
This is when the person will notice problems with their vision. Since this loss is irreversible, it is important to find it before a severe amount of damage has occurred to the nerve. Proper treatment can stop further loss of vision. (Ritch and Liebmann, alt. support. glaucoma, 2002). A fluid fills the eye called aqueous humor. This fluid helps the eye maintain its shape. This fluid is in the posterior chamber of the eye. It flows through the chamber and out a tiny canal called trabecular meshwork. The small hole on the canal is at an angle where the iris meets the cornea. This is what lets the fluid drain off the eye properly.
When it does not drain properly, it makes the pressure inside the eye go up and this develops into glaucoma, resulting in vision loss if left untreated. Think of the trabecular meshwork as a sieve. When you drain fluid off the food, the liquid goes through the holes. If the holes are plugged it does not let the fluid drain out. In order to check for glaucoma the ophthalmologist checks the IOP (intraocular pressure). The ideal number they look for is 16mm of mercury. The normal ranges from 10 to 22mm of mercury. This number increases as we get older. (Ritch and Liebmann, MD, alt. support. glaucoma, 2002:).
Glaucoma strikes people from all races, religions, and age groups. The people that are at risk more than others are though are the ones that are of African descent, and the ones who have a family history of glaucoma. Those of African descent are four to five times more likely to be affected than Caucasians. Based on a statistics report there are approximately 100,000 people who are blind from this disease. Approximately another 2,000,000 have some degree of visual loss from glaucoma, while several more million have an elevated IOP (Chelsea Eye Center, http://www. chelseaeye. com/overview. html).
According to Dr. Wilmot Lewis, OD. , the age group that is most affected is those in the 60+ range, but can be lower. This is mainly an age related disease that also depends on genetics. Although the risk factors for the disease are well known and understood, the actual cause is unknown. (Lewis, OD, interview, 2002; http://chelseaeye. com/overview. html; http://www. glaucoma. net/gany/faq/patindex. html There are several ways that the ophthalmologist examines the eye for glaucoma. They are mainly looking at the appearance of the optic nerve to see if there is any damage to the nerve itself.
The three main things that looked at during an eye examination are the optic nerve, IOP, and side vision. By looking at these, the ophthalmologist can tell if there is a problem. Below are a couple of tests that used to determine the amount of optic nerve damage caused by glaucoma, but the number one test that is used is the pressure test. This measures the intraocular pressure or IOP of the eye. When the pressure is too high, the optic nerve is squeezed and the blood supply that feeds it is slowed down or cut off completely. (Ritch and Liebmann, MD, alt. support. glaucoma, 2002).
Tonemetry–This test is part of a routine eye exam. It is performed by a puff of air being blown into the eye by a machine called a tonemeter. This measures the pressure inside the eye. This is a simple and painless test. (Ritch and Liebmann, MD, alt. support. glaucoma, 2002). Ophthalmoscopy–this is where a machine called an ophthalmoscope is used to look at the eye on the inside to see if there is damage to the optic nerve. There are others as well besides these two. (Ritch and Liebmann, MD, alt. support. glaucoma, 2002). When the onset of glaucoma first starts, there are no symptoms.
At first, when the pressure is building up inside the eye, the person that has this disease will have no pain or discomfort from it. As the disease gets further along though, the pressure increases causing discomfort and deterioration of the visual field. Once a person is diagnosed with glaucoma, they have it for life because there is no cure. The disease is treatable with medication though. (Ritch and Liebmann, MD, alt. support. glaucoma, 2002; Lewis, OD, interview, 2002). There are many ways to treat glaucoma. Most of them depend on what type of glaucoma the person has.
Three of the different types of treatment of open-angle glaucoma are eye drops, laser, and microsurgery. The number one surgery is laser surgery. This is done on the drain hole to open the trabecular meshwork so that the fluid can drain off and the IOP can be lowered. Narrow angle glaucoma can sometimes be cured with laser treatment. If it is chronic, then it is treated in the same way as open-angle glaucoma by doing a test called gonioscopy. (Ritch and Liebmann, MD, alt. support. glaucoma, 2002). There are several different organizations that people can go to for help and information concerning this particular disease.
Some are listed below. The Glaucoma Foundation 116 John Street, Suite 1605 New York, NY 10038 Phone: (212)-285-0080 E-mail: info@glaucoma-foundation. org Lighthouse International Information and Resource Service 111 East 59th Street New York, NY 10022-1202 Phone: TTY-(212)-821-9713 Toll free: 1-800-829-0500 E-mail: info@lighthouse. org Personally, I believe that to prevent the loss of vision everyone should have his or her eyes examined on a regular basis. The effects of glaucoma to me are similar to the way a water balloon lets the water out of a pinhole.
If the hole is too small then the water will not drain fast. That is how the eye is. The difference between the two is that one will eventually pop. The eye will not because it is stronger. The pressure will build until there is damage to the optic nerve Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of permanent blindness around the world that is preventable. This disease takes away the sense of sight slowly and there are no warning signs most of the time. The damage caused is permanent and cannot be reversed. With the correct eye care there will be little vision loss.
Glaucoma is caused by the pressure inside the eye being elevated causing lack of blood flow to the optic nerve, thereby causing the vision loss. There are two main types of glaucoma. There is chronic simple (open-angle) and acute (angle-closure). In chronic simple, the pressure in the eye goes up gradually and vision loss will be over a period of years. In acute the pressure goes up rapidly and medical treatment is needed to preserve the vision. The more common of the two is chronic simple or open-angle. The nerve cells that are lost due to glaucoma are called ganglion cells.
Each of these cells has a long fiber that connects it to the brain. As these cells die, the nerve fibers are then lost. When this happens, the nerve fiber layer gets thinner. This causes an empty space in the optic nerve, which is the “cup” of the optic nerve, to become larger until the nerve is completely gone. This is what the ophthalmologist goes by to determine the amount of damage caused by this disease. (Ritch, and Liebmann, alt. support. glaucoma, 2002). The definition that is in the encyclopedia is as follows: “an eye disease caused by raised pressure inside the eye.
” (Webster’s Family Encyclopedia, 1989, vol. 5 p. 107). Glaucoma is the result of a variety of diseases. Bacteria, viral or degenerative factors, do not cause glaucoma. It is caused from a combination of anything that stops the blood flow from getting to the eye and the optic nerve. A progressive optic neuropathy is characterized by a specific pattern of optic nerve head and visual field damage. It is a disease of the optic nerve. This nerve is what sends visual information from the eye to the brain, which in turn allows us to see. For the most part, damage will progress very slowly over a number of years.
This progression can also be rapid. Glaucoma is a final common pathway, which results from many conditions that can affect the eye. As this damage goes on, the person will lose vision. This loss of vision normally starts with the peripheral vision and work toward the central and reading vision. This is when the person will notice problems with their vision. Since this loss is irreversible, it is important to find it before a severe amount of damage has occurred to the nerve. Proper treatment can stop further loss of vision. (Ritch and Liebmann, alt. support. glaucoma, 2002).
A fluid fills the eye called aqueous humor. This fluid helps the eye maintain its shape. This fluid is in the posterior chamber of the eye. It flows through the chamber and out a tiny canal called trabecular meshwork. The small hole on the canal is at an angle where the iris meets the cornea. This is what lets the fluid drain off the eye properly. When it does not drain properly, it makes the pressure inside the eye go up and this develops into glaucoma, resulting in vision loss if left untreated. Think of the trabecular meshwork as a sieve. When you drain fluid off the food, the liquid goes through the holes.
If the holes are plugged it does not let the fluid drain out. In order to check for glaucoma the ophthalmologist checks the IOP (intraocular pressure). The ideal number they look for is 16mm of mercury. The normal ranges from 10 to 22mm of mercury. This number increases as we get older. (Ritch and Liebmann, MD, alt. support. glaucoma, 2002:). Glaucoma strikes people from all races, religions, and age groups. The people that are at risk more than others are though are the ones that are of African descent, and the ones who have a family history of glaucoma.
Those of African descent are four to five times more likely to be affected than Caucasians. Based on a statistics report there are approximately 100,000 people who are blind from this disease. Approximately another 2,000,000 have some degree of visual loss from glaucoma, while several more million have an elevated IOP (Chelsea Eye Center, http://www. chelseaeye. com/overview. html). According to Dr. Wilmot Lewis, OD. , the age group that is most affected is those in the 60+ range, but can be lower. This is mainly an age related disease that also depends on genetics.
Although the risk factors for the disease are well known and understood, the actual cause is unknown. (Lewis, OD, interview, 2002; http://chelseaeye. com/overview. html; http://www. glaucoma. net/gany/faq/patindex. html There are several ways that the ophthalmologist examines the eye for glaucoma. They are mainly looking at the appearance of the optic nerve to see if there is any damage to the nerve itself. The three main things that looked at during an eye examination are the optic nerve, IOP, and side vision. By looking at these, the ophthalmologist can tell if there is a problem.
Below are a couple of tests that used to determine the amount of optic nerve damage caused by glaucoma, but the number one test that is used is the pressure test. This measures the intraocular pressure or IOP of the eye. When the pressure is too high, the optic nerve is squeezed and the blood supply that feeds it is slowed down or cut off completely. (Ritch and Liebmann, MD, alt. support. glaucoma, 2002). Tonemetry–This test is part of a routine eye exam. It is performed by a puff of air being blown into the eye by a machine called a tonemeter. This measures the pressure inside the eye. This is a simple and painless test.
(Ritch and Liebmann, MD, alt. support. glaucoma, 2002). Ophthalmoscopy–this is where a machine called an ophthalmoscope is used to look at the eye on the inside to see if there is damage to the optic nerve. There are others as well besides these two. (Ritch and Liebmann, MD, alt. support. glaucoma, 2002). When the onset of glaucoma first starts, there are no symptoms. At first, when the pressure is building up inside the eye, the person that has this disease will have no pain or discomfort from it. As the disease gets further along though, the pressure increases causing discomfort and deterioration of the visual field.
Once a person is diagnosed with glaucoma, they have it for life because there is no cure. The disease is treatable with medication though. (Ritch and Liebmann, MD, alt. support. glaucoma, 2002; Lewis, OD, interview, 2002). There are many ways to treat glaucoma. Most of them depend on what type of glaucoma the person has. Three of the different types of treatment of open-angle glaucoma are eye drops, laser, and microsurgery. The number one surgery is laser surgery. This is done on the drain hole to open the trabecular meshwork so that the fluid can drain off and the IOP can be lowered.
Narrow angle glaucoma can sometimes be cured with laser treatment. If it is chronic, then it is treated in the same way as open-angle glaucoma by doing a test called gonioscopy. (Ritch and Liebmann, MD, alt. support. glaucoma, 2002).
There are several different organizations that people can go to for help and information concerning this particular disease. Some are listed below. The Glaucoma Foundation 116 John Street, Suite 1605 New York, NY 10038 Phone: (212)-285-0080 E-mail: info@glaucoma-foundation. org Lighthouse International Information and Resource Service 111 East 59th Street.
New York, NY 10022-1202 Phone: TTY-(212)-821-9713 Toll free: 1-800-829-0500 E-mail: info@lighthouse. org Personally, I believe that to prevent the loss of vision everyone should have his or her eyes examined on a regular basis. The effects of glaucoma to me are similar to the way a water balloon lets the water out of a pinhole. If the hole is too small then the water will not drain fast. That is how the eye is. The difference between the two is that one will eventually pop. The eye will not because it is stronger. The pressure will build until there is damage to the optic nerve.