Glaucoma

Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in San Antonio and the world as a whole. A group of eye conditions damages your optic nerve, which plays a huge role in good vision. In most cases, the damage results from excessively high pressure in the eye. It mainly affects people aged 60 and above, but it can occur in people of all ages. Most forms of glaucoma do not show any warning signs. Due to the gradual effect, you may not notice any changes in your vision until it gets to an advanced stage. Since vision loss caused by glaucoma is irreversible, you need to make regular visits to an optometrist experienced in diagnosing and treating glaucoma in San Antonio. If you detect the problem early, you can slow down or prevent vision loss. If you have already developed the condition, you will have to get treatment for the rest of your life.

Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of this condition vary based on the stage and type of the disease you have. If you have open-angle glaucoma, the symptoms may include patchy blind spots in your central or peripheral vision. It primarily affects both eyes. You can also experience tunnel vision in the advanced stages.

Acute angle-closure glaucoma mainly causes severe headaches, eye pain, nausea, and vomiting. You can also experience blurry vision, halos around lights, and red eyes. If left unaddressed, glaucoma eventually causes blindness. Even when treated, an average of fifteen percent of glaucoma patients develop blindness in at least one eye within twenty years.

You should seek medical attention if you notice any symptoms related to acute angle-closure glaucoma, such as eye pain, blurry vision, and severe headache.

Causes

Glaucoma mainly results from a damaged optic nerve. As your optic nerve gradually sustains damage, you start developing blind spots in your visual field. While medical professionals still don’t understand the reasons, optic nerve damage stems from increased eye pressure.

Increased eye pressure can come about due to the buildup of aqueous humor, a fluid that flows throughout the inside of the human eye. The fluid drains out through the trabecular meshwork tissue at the intersection point of the cornea and iris. When the drainage system does not work correctly or the fluid increases, it does not flow out at the optimum rate, thus increasing eye pressure.

Glaucoma mostly runs in the family as some people have genes linked to optic nerve damage and elevated eye pressure.

Angle-closure glaucoma or closed-angle glaucoma results from the iris bulging forward, narrowing or blocking the drainage angle at the intersection of the cornea and iris. Consequently, fluid cannot circulate in the eye leading to high eye pressure.

Normal-tension glaucoma occurs when you damage your optic nerve even with normal eye pressure. The reason for this remains unknown. Medical professionals attribute it to sensitive optic nerves or limited blood supply to the optic nerve causing atherosclerosis.

Children and infants can also develop glaucoma from birth or the first few years of life.

In summary, a glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve. It can cause permanent blindness. The symptoms vary depending on the type and stage of your condition. Optic nerve damage is the most common cause of glaucoma.