So it’s been ages since I wrote a post about eyes when I said I would do it regularly, I’m such a bad blogger! I thought I would continue my basic introduction to eye conditions, so after my basic guide to what a cataract is I’ll try and give you the basics of Glaucoma.
Glaucoma is quite a big topic and it can give complicated very quickly. There are a quite a few different forms of the condition, but in simple terms Glaucoma is damage to the optic nerve head (this is the the point at which the connect between the eye and brain joins the eye). The damage is usual caused by raised pressure within the eye (which is not the same as raised blood pressure). If you think of the eye like a football (bear with me), if you pump a football up too much then the pressure causes the stitching to be put under tension, instead of the the stitching (which your eye doesn’t have!!) in the eye the tension is put on the optic nerve head and if this happens for a long time it causes damage.
The pressure in the eye is controlled by a fluid within the eye called aqueous. The aqueous is produced within the eye and is constantly drained out, the amount produced is normal balanced by the amount that is drained out therefore pressure is maintained at a constant level.
I’m just going to look at one kind of Glaucoma in this post, ‘Chronic Primary Open Angle Glaucoma’. This is probably the most well known form of Glaucoma and what people normally think of when they hear the condition if they know something about it. Chronic means it’s a long term condition, it doesn’t do instant damage. The problem with it is you wouldn’t be aware of anything, i.e. no pain and you won’t be aware of any problems with your vision. The damage to the optic nerve affects the peripheral vision and if left untreated you would end up with tunnel vision (like when you hold a kitchen paper roll up to the eye and you looked down it).
How is it detected then?
In a routine eye test your Optometrist (Optician) will check for Glaucoma, usually in three different ways:
1. The pressure test, there’s two main ways of doing this, probably the more common method is the ‘puff of air’ test.
2. A visual field test,’flashy lights test’, ‘the dotty one’ or ‘the poor man’s space invaders’ as I call it! This checks your peripheral vision.
3. Your Optometrist will use a special light to look into the eye, this checks the health of your eyes. During this check the Optometrist will look at the Optic Nerve Head and assess it’s health.
How can you help yourself?
You can do two main things and they’re pretty simple bits of advice really. Get a regular eye test, normally a routine eye test is recommended every two years, if you have a family history of Glaucoma (direct relative) and you’re over 40yrs then an eye test will be recommended every year (this is because you are more likely but not guaranteed to get Glaucoma). The second thing I would suggest is you stick with one Opticians, because it’s a gradual changing condition it’s much easier to detect change if you have a record from the previous eye test (which your Opticians will keep) – some will now even take a picture of the back of your eye which makes it even easier to check for any changes.
What happens if I’m diagnosed?
If your Optometrist considers that you may have Glaucoma he/she will refer you to an eye doctor (Ophthalmologist) for a diagnosis. If they confirm that you do have Glaucoma they will discuss treatment, although Glaucoma can’t be cured if Glaucoma is diagnosed early then the damage will be kept to a minimum and shouldn’t have any problems with your vision.
What’s the treatment?
As I said the treatment is to lower the pressure within the eye, usually by eye drops (these either decrease production of aqueous or allow more of the fluid to drain from the eye), sometimes they can do a little surgery to decrease the pressure.
I hope that all makes sense and I hope you found that little Glaucoma introduction interesting.
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