Glaucoma

What is it? Who is most at risk ?

Glaucoma is an eye disorder that causes progressive damage to the optic nerve and loss of nerve tissue resulting in loss of vision, especially peripheral vision.

The optic nerve is a bundle of about one million individual nerve fibers that transmits the visual signals from the eye to the brain. A loss of these nerve fibers results in peripheral vision loss.

Advanced glaucoma may even cause blindness.

There are many types of glaucoma and the exact cause is unknown. It is usually associated with an increase in the fluid pressure inside the eye, although other theories include lack of adequate blood supply to the optic nerve.

The most common form of glaucoma, PRIMARY OPEN ANGLE GLAUCOMA, is associated with an increase in the fluid pressure inside the eye. This increase in pressure may cause progressive damage to the optic nerve and loss of nerve fibers. Not everyone with high pressure will develop glaucoma and people with normal eye pressure may develop glaucoma as well. There are many forms of glaucoma, all resulting with the same loss of vision.

Glaucoma IS THE SECOND LEADING CAUSE OF BLINDNESS IN THE United States. More than 2 million Americans are being treated for glaucoma and millions more are unaware they have the disorder.

A yearly eye examination is particularly important as a preventive eye care measure.

The damage to the optic nerve from glaucoma is typically slow and painless. A large portion of vision can be lost before any vision problems are noticed. The optic nerve at the back of the eye, carries visual information to the brain. As the fibers that make up the optic nerve are damaged, the amount and quality of information sent to the brain decreases and a loss of vision occurs.

If diagnosed at an early stage, glaucoma can often be controlled, and further vision loss may be minimized. If left untreated, first, peripheral vision and eventually central vision will be affected and blindness may result. Vision loss is irreversible.

People the most affected are:

- people over 55 years

-anyone suffering from high blood pressure

-anyone suffering from diabetes

-people with a family history of glaucoma

-people of Hispanic or African American descent.

Vision loss as a result of glaucoma is usually permanent and cannot be restored. Treatments are there to prevent loss of vision and control glaucoma, they greatly reduce the chances of permanent vision

Glaucoma is labeled the “SILENT THIEF OF VISION” and there is no warning signs.

We STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF AN ANUAL AND COMPREHENSIVE EYE EXAM FOR ALL AGE POPULATION.