Glaucoma is an eye disease that is characterized by increased pressure in the eyeball. Most commonly it results from an obstruction of the outflow of fluid in the eye. If glaucoma is not treated, the condition can damage the optic disc of the retina and impair vision (sometimes progressing to blindness).
There are many types of glaucoma. The most common type, open angle glaucoma, frequently has no symptoms and has been nicknamed "the thief of sight". Another type, acute glaucoma, can cause pain and blurred vision, an emergency requiring immediate treatment. Many people with glaucoma experience halos around bright lights as well as the loss of sight characterized by the disease.
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People with family history of glaucoma have about a six percent chance of developing glaucoma. Diabetics and Blacks are more are prone to glaucoma. Ideally, everyone over the age of thirty-five should be checked for glaucoma, with the frequency of the checkups increasing with age.
Glaucoma is usually checked as part of a standard eye examination performed by an optometrist or ophthalmologist. A typical test for glaucoma is the "air puff" test, in which a blast of air is shot into the eye and the resistance measured to estimate the pressure within the eye. Pupil dilation is not necessary for this test.
Glaucoma can be treated with drugs that lower the increased pressure in the eyeball.
While glaucoma may or may not have distinct symptoms, an almost inevitable complication of glaucoma is vision loss. Visual loss from glaucoma first affects peripheral vision. Vision loss is sometimes subtle, and unless a patient happens to check his peripheral vision thoroughly (by closing one eye and examining all four corners of his visual field for clarity and sharpness, then repeating with the other eye closed), the patient may not notice until he is suddenly experiencing "tunnel vision". If the disease is not treated, the visual field will become more and more narrow, obscuring central vision, and finally progressing to blindness in the affected eye(s).
Visual loss related to glaucoma is usually irreversible, but can be mitigated or eliminated by early treatment. If you suspect you may have glaucoma, schedule an eye examination as soon as possible. Some optometrists do not require referrals and the "air puff" test is quick and painless.
Risk factors and diagnosis
Treatment
Complications
