Important Details On Glaucoma San Antonio

By Eloise Hewitt


Glaucoma refers not just to one eye disease but a group of eye conditions that bring about damage of the optic nerve. This may result to vision loss. When there is too high pressure within the eye, known as intraocular pressure, this is likely to lead to eye damage. It is among the leading causes of blindness and damages vision slowly in such a way that one may not realize the loss of vision until later in the advanced stages. When considering treatment of glaucoma San Antonio residents should know all details involved.

Primary-angle glaucoma is the most common type of this condition. The signs and symptoms are not easily noticeable. Thus other than the fact that the symptoms increase gradually, one may fail to realize they are suffering from it. When there is timely diagnosis and treatment, any damages associated with it are minimized. Regular examination of eyes is recommended, during which the intraocular pressure needs to be measured.

The two most common forms of this infection, that is angle closure and open-angle, have symptoms that are very varied. The two main symptoms of the latter type are gradual loss of peripheral vision in both eyes and tunnel vision when it is in the advanced stages. The former has such symptoms as blurred vision, eye pain, nausea, vomiting and sudden onset of disturbance of vision. When the cause is unknown, the condition is referred to as primary. When the causes can be traced, it is referred to as secondary.

Individuals are not supposed to wait until the symptoms are advanced. The key to avoiding suffering from this condition is to go for check-ups frequently. Whenever one realizes sharp pain in the eyes, blurred vision, strong headaches and nausea, they should seek medical advice. Otherwise, there is the risk of seeking medical care when it is too late.

The eye pressure results from build-up of fluid known as aqueous humor which flows in and out of eyes. The fluid normally leaves the eye through a drainage system which is at the angle where the cornea and iris meet. In case this drainage system does not work properly then the fluid is not able to normally filter out of eyes. This is what leads to pressure build-up within the eye.

There are certain risk factors that one should be wary of. Age is one such crucial factor. People over 40 years are at risk of suffering from angle-closure glaucoma. For certain groups such as African-Americans, the risk development of the eye condition is much higher and takes place in younger people. For Mexican-Americans, those older than 60 are at a higher risk.

People with a family history of the condition are more prone to suffer from it. There also is a defect on one or more genes and this makes some people more at risk than others. Further, heart diseases, diabetes and high blood pressure are some of the medical conditions that increase risk of glaucoma.

The main aim of treatment is reduction of pressure in the eyes. For treatment of this condition, the doctors may lower pressure of eyes, improve drainage of the eyes and also reduce amount of fluid produced in the eyes. It cannot be cured and damages resulting from it cannot be reversed. However, early detection prevents vision loss.




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