What is open angle glaucoma, how it's diagnosed, what can happen if left untreated, and how it's treated.
Open-Angle Glaucoma is the most common form of glaucoma. This disease is the number one cause of blindness. It affects African-Americans more often than any other race. What happens in an eye with open-angle glaucoma is the fluid inside the eye that would normally circulate begins to drain slower than it should resulting in an increase in fluid pressure. The pressure in the eye can rise to the point where nerve damage is done. Once damage is done by glaucoma it's permanent. Treatment is done to reduce pressure in the eye to stop further damage from occurring. The optic nerve connects the retina to the brain. Once the pressure behind the eye gets too high it can begin tearing at these delicate nerves causing them to eventually detach causing permanent loss of vision.
Open-angle glaucoma is a chronic disease that builds up over a period of time and causes eye damage without showing symptoms, unlike angle-closure glaucoma, which in an acute eye disease that comes on quickly causing pain and vision loss. This type usually requires immediate medical attention. The symptoms of angle-closure glaucoma are:
Intense eye pain
Red eyes
Swollen and/or cloudy cornea
Halos around lights
Blurry vision
Morning headaches
Pain after watching TV
Angle-closure glaucoma is usually caused by genetic factors. People who are of Asian origin are at the highest risk of developing this type of glaucoma. The onset of this type is very rapid and must be treated right away. The way it's usually treated is by laser or microsurgery. A surgeon will need to operate on the eye to remove the particles that are clogging the angles. Once this is done, the fluid will begin to drain normally. This type of glaucoma responds very well to surgical treatment.
It's important to catch glaucoma in its early stages to prevent damage to the eye. The hard part is that in the early stages of open-angle glaucoma, there are no symptoms at all, no blurred vision pain or anything. In the later stages there are some symptoms such as loss of peripheral vision, blurred or seeing halos around lights. That is why it's so important to have an eye exam at least once every two years. Once symptoms of glaucoma appear, the damage is already done and cannot be repaired. The damage can be mild to severe depending on how long the disease has been present and on how high the pressure behind the eye is.
The most accurate way to have open-angle glaucoma diagnosed is by having the eye doctor dilate the pupil of the eyes and look inside for optic nerve damage. Another way is the use of a tonometer. This is an instrument that can measure the pressure levels in the eyes. Another test is the visual field test. This will detect any loss of peripheral vision, which is one of the earliest signs of open-angle glaucoma. There is no cure for glaucoma. There are treatments to help control the pressure from building up.
Once a diagnosis has been made, the doctor will more than likely begin treating the eyes with medication. These come in the form of various drops that are applied directly to the eye. The drops usually produce a burning sensation at first, but this is normal. No matter what make sure to continue the drops. Your doctor can prescribe drops to help soothe your eyes after applying the other drops. Ask your doctor about it. Sometimes pills are prescribed either to increase fluid drainage or decrease the eye's production of fluid. These pills have some serious side effects so you will want to discuss this with your doctor.
Surgery is another option that people with open-angle glaucoma to consider. Laser surgery can be done, but is usually not a permanent solution and must be used along with drops. Regular surgery can be done to put a hole for fluid to drain out of the eye, but this is only used if all other non-surgical treatments fail. The most important thing to remember is that once you begin any treatment for glaucoma, you will need to follow through for possibly the rest of your life to prevent blindness.
Even though open-angle glaucoma can effect everyone, African American men over the age of forty should be checked more because they are at a higher risk of developing this eye disease. African American males are also close to six times more likely to go blind from open-angle glaucoma than other races. Other factors you will want to consider are heredity. If someone in your family has been diagnosed with open-angle glaucoma then you may be at a higher risk of developing it. Other risk factors include diabetes, near sightedness, long-term Steroid or Cortisone use or a previous eye injury.
