How does glaucoma, what are the symptoms and signs?
What causes glaucoma?
The eye is constantly produced by the liquid substance, called aqueous humor. Aqueous humor is secreted by the ciliary body in the back of the camera - a small space between the lens and the iris. Then it goes through the hole of the pupil into the anterior chamber - the space between the cornea and the iris - and fills it. In a corner of the front of the camera, where to converge the cornea and the iris, it is a complex drainage system of the eye through which aqueous humor exits the eye and goes into the bloodstream. It is the balance between the production and outflow of aqueous humor determines the intraocular pressure (IOP). In most people, the IOP is 16-25 mm Hg. Although some eyes can withstand higher pressures. Therefore, the norm is always individual: what is high for one person may be normal for another.
The main forms of glaucoma
Open-angle glaucoma
The tips of the arrows shown in the deposition of a whitish substance called psevdoeksfoliatsiyami on the anterior capsule of the lens. The origin of the substance is poorly understood, but it is well-known subspecies okrytougolnoy glaucoma associated with the outflow tract of intraocular fluid deposition unit psevdoeksfoliatsy in the corner of the front chamber of the eye.
This is the most common form of glaucoma is also known as 'chronic open' or 'primary open'. In this form of glaucoma, although the front section of the eye looks normal aqueous humor does not get proper drainage accumulates in the eye, and, as a consequence, increased intraocular pressure. Without treatment, it leads to a gradual loss of vision but bezvozratnoy. Usually, the doctor prescribes eye drops to lower intraocular pressure, but often not enough for the required pressure drop. Therefore it is necessary to perform the operation Antiglaucoma - laser or knife.
Angle-closure glaucoma:
While patients with open-angle glaucoma often have no symptoms, patients with narrow-angle glaucoma, in contrast, during a seizure experienced severe pain in the eye, accompanied by a headache in the homonymous half of the head, nausea, vomiting, iridescent circles before the eye, its redness. An acute attack of glaucoma - it is urgent conditions requiring immediate start adequate treatment. Otherwise, in a few hours, the optic nerve can be completely lost, and people lose vision in that eye for life.
Secondary glaucoma:
When any eye disease leads to increased IOP, talk about secondary glaucoma. Its causes can be inflammation, trauma, surgery, diabetes, cancer, and certain medications. In this form of glaucoma treatment is required as a fundamental problem and glaucoma.
Congenital glaucoma
This rare type of glaucoma occurs in children and in most cases requires surgical treatment.
The signs (symptoms)
Glaucoma - an insidious disease because it rarely causes complaints. Detection and prevention are often only possible through regular examinations by an ophthalmologist. But such forms of glaucoma, as the closure and congenital cause the appearance of symptoms.
- An acute attack of angle-closure glaucoma
- Extremely severe pain in the eye
- The sharp deterioration of vision
- A headache (often half a headache from the patient's eye)
- Nausea and vomiting
- Lit and photophobia
- Congenital glaucoma
- lacrimation
- Photophobia
Increasing the size of the cornea and the whole eye
Diagnostics
Due to the fact that glaucoma in most cases does not manifest itself, a person older than 40 years should once a year show an ophthalmologist with a mandatory measurement of intraocular pressure. Those who have a doctor suspects glaucoma, may need further investigation.
Screening for glaucoma includes several standard components. In addition to measuring the intraocular pressure, determine the rate of formation of aqueous humor in the eye and the rate of outflow of intraocular fluid (tomography). The doctor also assesses the condition of the optic nerve (ophthalmoscopy), check the field of view and explores the front structures of the eye with a special contact lens (Gonioscopy).
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glaucoma: symptoms, signs, causes
Some eye diseases develop quietly, but their result could be a complete loss of vision. Glaucoma - one of the classic examples of such diseases.
Glaucoma is called the chronic eye disease characterized by a significant increase in intraocular pressure. It is extremely important time to reduce the intraocular pressure to normal levels. Otherwise, you may lose the optic nerve. This loss leads to blindness, which can no longer be cured.
According to statistics, it has led to glaucoma blindness about fifteen percent of all blind people in the world. So, it is more than the common disease. The main "risk group" glaucoma - people older than forty years. However, it is often diagnosed at a much earlier age. Even there is a separate concept - Juvenile glaucoma. Moreover, it is not immune from this disease and newborns - and sometimes congenital glaucoma.
The causes of glaucoma
In the event of fault glaucoma intraocular fluid. If violated its excretion, increased the most eye pressure, so - developing glaucoma. Doctors are three main types of the disease - congenital, primary and secondary. Below, we look at each of these types.
Primary glaucoma - the most common type. As already mentioned, more than all the people exposed to it over forty years. Symptoms of glaucoma occur suddenly, without any apparent signs were, in his eyes, seemed perfectly healthy.
Let's look at existing risk factors influencing the occurrence of glaucoma and its progression. These factors can be divided into local and general. Local factors tend to become myopic refraction, more commonly known as nearsightedness. As general factors may make a bad heredity, thyroid disease, or central nervous system and diabetes. In addition to the common factors include advanced age, and - over 60-65 years.
The cause of congenital glaucoma may be an anomaly of eye development in the embryo (called dysgenesis anterior chamber angle) or some other eye disease that is transferred before birth or during them (it can be trauma, tumors, inflammation or something else).
Secondary glaucoma is called, emerged as a result of one of the following eye diseases: cataract, shift (dislocation) of the lens, as well as due to inflammatory (such as keratitis, scleritis, uveitis, and others) and degenerative (exophthalmos effects, progressive atrophy of the iris, etc. ) diseases, as well as after burns and eye injuries, tumors and their surgical procedures.
However, the intraocular pressure can be increased and due to causes of action neglaukomnogo nature. This phenomenon is called hypertensive eyes. The difference between glaucoma and hypertension consists in that the latter comes benign, while not suffering from the disease optic nerve. The cause of hypertension eyes can be a variety of local or general disease, intoxication, age imbalance between the production of intraocular fluid and its outflow, with the endocrine system and a long reception of hormonal preparations, as well as a number of other diseases.
What happens in glaucoma?
Inside our eyes constantly going the process of formation of a special liquid - scientists call it the aqueous humor. The basic amount of water is collected in the front (between the cornea and iris) and back (between the iris and lens) cells of the human eye.
Through a unique drainage system, located at the corner of the anterior chamber, intraocular fluid out of the eye into the bloodstream. Intraocular pressure is determined by the balance between the formation of intraocular moisture and its outflow. Actually, intraocular pressure - a pressure which the contents of the eyeball have on its walls. Typically, the intraocular pressure in a healthy person is in the range of 16 to 22 mm Hg.
If you have glaucoma in the eye of the patient is disturbed circulation of the liquid - it accumulates, because of what begins to grow intraocular pressure. In turn, because of this pressure, the eyeball starts to put pressure on the optic nerve, gradually (quickly enough) destroying it. As a result of these processes in humans begins to deteriorate (or how often people say, "sit down") vision, he begins to see worse. Thereupon come deterioration and more significant problems and symptoms of glaucoma. Disturbed peripheral vision, which is why the zone narrows visibility. If time does not sound the alarm, the eyeball can and do crush the optic nerve. His death comes to total blindness. Modern medicine has not yet found a way to restore vision lost due to the loss of the optic nerve. Vision can just get lost and can - as a result of an acute attack.
How does glaucoma, what are the symptoms and signs?
The emergence and development of open-angle glaucoma usually pass without any manifestations, imperceptibly for the patient. Any problems or discomfort it causes, and the people - lives in blissful ignorance. There is a narrowing of the field of view, but it's so slow (may take a few years) that the person does not notice the symptoms of glaucoma, and even if the notices - usually write off fatigue or age. Often the patient only accidentally discovers that one eye does not see at all. Approximately every fifth patient notes that he began to see the iridescent circles, looking at the light source (eg a light bulb), many complain of appearing from time to time "fog" or veil before the eyes. Practically, the only symptoms of increased intraocular pressure. Often they are accompanied by a headache and discomfort in the brow area.
In most cases, acute angle glaucoma affects both eyes at once. However, typically, it seems asymmetrically disease. The main symptom of glaucoma - the narrowing of the field of peripheral vision. Typically, it begins by narrowing the nose and then covering the periphery of the field of view up to a complete loss of vision. Many patients notice a dramatic decrease in the ability to see in the evening, at dusk. If you have already started to deteriorate eyesight - the disease is likely to have already started the procedure. The process of atrophy of the optic nerve has already begun. Do something doctors would be extremely difficult.
About a quarter of all cases of primary glaucoma - closure. An indication of such a form is often a pain in the eyes and almost constant discomfort, the pressure in the eye. There are visual disturbances. This and some blurred vision and halos above appearing around lights. Especially noticeable pain in the temples, brow area and side of the head. An acute attack, which we mentioned above, as a rule, is accompanied by closure glaucoma. The reason for this attack - a sharp increase in the eye (intraocular) pressure, which is a symptom of glaucoma.
Typically, such an attack - a direct consequence of a number of trigger factors. These factors may be fatigue, nervous stress, as well as a long stay in the dark or in a position where the head is tilted. Provoke an attack and can receive a one-time large quantity of water, and pupil dilation using drugs.
When an acute attack of pain dramatically manifests itself in the head and eyesight pretty fogged up or drastically reduced, and when looking at the light in front of the eyes appear colored circles. It happens that an acute attack of glaucoma is accompanied by nausea or vomiting, general weakness of the body. Often the pain is given in the abdomen and heart. In such a variety of symptoms lies the main danger - you can easily take an attack of glaucoma for the aggravation of some other diseases (very few people come to mind that the eye disease will have an effect on the heart). As a result - lost time. Meanwhile, this is the case, when the delay - like death. Inescapable blindness can occur within hours after an acute attack.
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