Table of Contents
Introduction
Glaucoma is also called the “Silent thief of sight. This is because it tends to develop without any obvious symptoms until major loss of vision has already begun. It’s a condition that causes damage to the optic nerve. Because the optic nerve is crucial for clear vision, detecting it early is vital to prevent lasting harm. Once the risks, types, and warning signs of glaucoma are known, you can take proactive steps to protect your eyesight.
The best way to catch glaucoma early, before symptoms appear, is by having regularly scheduled eye exams. If you get an early diagnosis and a personalized treatment plan, you can slow its progression and keep your eyesight healthy for many years. This guide will help you understand the condition, spot its risks, and find your best options for detection and management.
What Is Glaucoma and Why Is It Called the Silent Thief of Sight?
Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that are known to cause damage to the optic nerve. The damage occurs because there is increased pressure inside the eye. However, glaucoma can also occur even with normal eye pressure. As time passes, the optic nerve becomes jeopardized, leading to a gradual loss of vision that cannot be restored. Since the damage caused by glaucoma is permanent, it is critical to get an early diagnosis and be treated as soon as possible.
Since glaucoma usually develops before any symptoms are noticed in the early stages, it has been called the silent thief of sight. Pain or vision changes are usually not experienced until there has been significant damage to the optic nerve. Loss of vision starts with peripheral vision or side vision, and is easy to miss while people are busy with their everyday activities.
When people do not have regular comprehensive eye examinations, glaucoma can progress for years before it is detected. However, with routine screenings, the early signs of this disease can be detected before the loss of vision has become too severe. Early detection of glaucoma and regular management help preserve eyesight and quality of life.
How Does Glaucoma Affect Your Vision Over Time?
The optic nerve sends visual information from the eye to the brain. Glaucoma affects vision gradually by damaging the nerve. For most patients, it is the increased pressure inside the eye that causes this damage by gradually wearing down the nerve fibers. Because in its early stages, it only affects a person’s side vision, these changes are often hard for patients to notice.
Without treatment for glaucoma, a person’s side vision continues to narrow. This leads to tunnel vision. In its advanced stages, there can be a significant loss of vision or even blindness. Since this damage is permanent and irreversible, regular monitoring and treatment are necessary to slow down this disease and maintain one’s eyesight over time.
Who Is at Risk for Developing Glaucoma?
Anyone can be affected by glaucoma, but some factors make it more likely for some people to develop it.
Common risk factors include:
- Age: The risk increases after one reaches the age of 40, but it increases even more after one reaches 60
- Family history: Glaucoma is often hereditary
- Medical conditions: Having diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease are also common risk factors.
- Eye conditions or history: Excessive eye pressure, thin corneas, injury to the eye, or even prior eye surgery
- Medication use: Corticosteroids, especially steroid eye drops
- Ethnicity: Individuals who are of African, Hispanic, or Asian descent can have a greater risk, depending on the kind of glaucoma
An awareness of these risk factors, together with regularly scheduled comprehensive eye exams, can help catch glaucoma in its early stages and protect your eyesight. The best way to keep your vision from being lost permanently is to have early monitoring and treatment.
What Are the Common Types of Glaucoma?
- Primary Open Angle Glaucoma: This is the most common form. It develops slowly, presents no early warning signs, and gradually affects your side vision.
- Angle Closure Glaucoma: We see this form when the drainage angle in the eye gets blocked. It causes sudden spikes in eye pressure and can be an emergency.
- Secondary Glaucoma: This type usually develops as a result of some other eye condition, an injury, or long-term use of certain medications.
- Congenital Glaucoma: This type is rare. It occurs at birth because there has been an abnormal development of the eye’s drainage system.
What Symptoms Should You Watch for With Glaucoma?
Glaucoma, the silent thief of sight, develops without obvious symptoms in its early stages. For this reason, people don’t notice changes to their eyesight or even have pain until this disease has caused a great deal of damage to the optic nerve. The most common form of glaucoma is primary open-angle glaucoma. With this form, eyesight may seem normal, but peripheral vision can slowly start to decline. In the early stages, it may not even seem noticeable during daily activities.
As glaucoma starts to advance, its warning signs become more obvious. Some of the warning signs can be blurry eyesight, tunnel vision, halos seeming to appear around lights, red, or there can even be sudden eye pain in cases where people have angle-closure glaucoma.
What Treatment Options Are Available for Glaucoma?
Although glaucoma is not curable, early detection and getting treatment can slow down or even prevent loss of vision. The best way to deal with it depends upon the kind of glaucoma one has, as well as how severe the condition has become.
Common treatment options include:
- Prescription Eye Drops: They can lower pressure in the eye by improving fluid drainage or lowering the production of fluid.
- Oral Medications: These are used in some cases to lower pressure in the eye in patients when eye drops are not enough.
- Laser Therapy: Assists in draining fluid and lowering eye pressure. This therapy is generally used for open-angle or angle-closure glaucoma.
- Surgical Procedures: Generally, they are only used in cases that have advanced or have been resistant to other treatments. Surgical options include trabeculectomy, glaucoma drainage implants, or other minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries (MIGS).
Getting early and regular treatment is the key to effectively managing glaucoma. Keeping your follow-up appointments ensures that your treatment plan is helping to protect and preserve your eyesight.
How Can Golden Vision Help Detect and Manage Glaucoma Early?
Golden Vision helps preserve your eyesight by providing comprehensive eye examinations in which glaucoma screening is included. During the course of these exams, our doctors will measure your eye pressure and evaluate the condition of your optic nerve. We will also perform visual field tests that can catch glaucoma in its early stages, generally before obvious symptoms appear.
If we diagnose glaucoma, Golden Vision’s experienced team will provide you with a personalized management plan according to your needs. This plan could include prescription eye drops, suggesting lifestyle adjustments, laser therapy, or even referrals for surgery if necessary. Together with regular monitoring and proactive care, our patients can slow glaucoma’s progression and maintain their eyesight for many years.