Symptoms of Glaucoma, 9 important points You should know it!
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| Symptoms of Glaucoma |
Article Content:
- Glaucoma
- Symptoms of Glaucoma
- People at Risk and Risk Factors
- Prevention of glaucoma
- Medical treatments for glaucoma
- The opinion of our doctor
- Complementary Approaches
- Landmarks
- References
Glaucoma is a disease of the eye that causes an irreparable loss of the field of vision. It is the consequence of damage to the optic nerve. First, peripheral vision is affected (see pictures below). The person who suffers from it can become blind if it receives no treatment. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world in the world's least developed countries after cataracts (source: OPC 2012).
In most cases, glaucoma is associated with elevated pressure inside the eye (intraocular pressure). Normally, this should not exceed 21 millimeters of mercury (mmHg).
However, in almost 1 in 3 people, the symptoms of glaucoma appear even if the pressure in the eye is normal. A less good blood supply to the optic nerve, caused by atherosclerosis in the vessels that irritate this nerve, could be involved. Whether the pressure inside the eye is too high or not, the treatment remains the same.
Who is affected?
In Canada, 1% of people over the age of 40 are affected. This proportion rises to 5% among people over 70 years of age and 10% over 80 years. Glaucoma can nevertheless occur at any age.
In France, more than one million people would be affected, including 400,000 people not treated by ignorance of the disease. However, glaucoma may be present at any age9.
Symptoms of Glaucoma Causes:
It is often unknown why glaucoma appears. Heredity is the main risk factor. Moreover, certain anatomical characteristics could play a role.
Sometimes, glaucoma is associated with a specific problem, such as:
- a brutal trauma to the eye;
- another vision problem: cataract, pronounced short-sightedness, chronic uveitis;
- certain diseases: diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disorders, uncontrolled hypothyroidism.
Taking certain medications also increases the risk of glaucoma. This is the case, for example, with corticosteroids administered directly to the eyes or orally.
Note. Pump corticosteroids for asthma or cream or ointment for eczema have no effect on glaucoma.
Why does the pressure rise?
Inside the eye, between the cornea and the iris, there is a space called the anterior chamber (after having enlarged it, click on the interactive diagram below). This space is filled with a liquid called aqueous humor. This transparent fluid has several functions: it maintains the intraocular pressure, gives shape to the eyeball and nourishes the cornea and the lens. The aqueous humor is constantly renewed and circulates in the eye.
In most cases of glaucoma, a decrease in the excretion of aqueous humor through its exit path occurs. The excretion of the fluid is either slowed down gradually, leading gradually to open-angle glaucoma, being blocked rapidly, causing closed-angle glaucoma.
Since the aqueous humor does not drain normally, the pressure inside the eye increases. The high pressure will cause an excavation of the head of the optic nerve that alters the optical fibers of the retina and destroys them gradually. This results in a peripheral visual field disturbance generally not perceived by the patient.
Types of Symptoms of Glaucoma:
Glaucoma
Open-angle glaucoma. With 80% to 90% of cases (Caucasians, Blacks, and Hispanics), this type of glaucoma occurs slowly without causing symptoms over a period of time ranging from 10 years to 20 years. The "angle" in question is that formed by the junction between the iris and the cornea. It is called the iridocorneal angle (see the interactive diagram). Usually, both eyes are affected. One of the important precursors is the gradual increase in pressure inside the eye. Normally, this should not exceed 21 millimeters of mercury (mmHg). Intraocular pressure is detectable by visual examination.
Glaucoma with the closed angle. Rare (except in Asians, where it is common), it occurs as a result of a sudden increase in pressure in the eye. This is a medical emergency. It gives rise to extreme eye pain and other noticeable symptoms, such as decreased vision and colored halos around the lights. Intraocular pressure is sometimes as high as 80 mmHg. Generally, such attacks occur in the evening when the light is weak and the pupils dilate. If this type of glaucoma is not treated promptly, the person may become blind. If treated in time, the risk of blindness is greatly reduced.
Closed-angle glaucoma attacks first and usually only with one eye and then with the other within 5 years in the absence of adequate control.
Two factors are required for a crisis to occur:
- Anatomical predisposition.
- A dilation of the pupil (the central orifice of the iris, where the light rays pass). It can occur as a result of a long stay in the dark, stress or the use of drugs that dilate the pupil, such as antispasmodics, antihistamines, antidepressants, and nitrates.
Congenital glaucoma. It can occur from birth or take a few months to manifest. Most often, it touches both eyes. Sometimes inherited, it can represent an isolated problem or can be explained by ocular malformation (usually a congenital cataract) or some rare diseases. In this case, too, there is blockage of the output of the aqueous humor.
Symptoms of Glaucoma Diagnostic
Here are the most commonly practiced exams.
Test of tonometry. This is the first test generally undertaken. The tonometer measures the pressure inside the eye. Two techniques are used: one directs a jet of pressurized air on the open eye, it is the tonometry with forced air; Or after instillation of anesthetic eye drops a flattened cone is placed on the cornea, it is the tonometry to explanation. This test is both quick and painless. Normal intraocular pressure is between 8 mmHg and 21 mmHg.
Measurement of the thickness of the cornea. It is important to measure the thickness of the cornea since it influences the result obtained by the tonometry test. If the cornea is thick, the pressure is overestimated; If the cornea is thin, the pressure is underestimated.
Observation of the eye. Indices of damage to the optic nerve can be observed using a device that directs light into the eye.
Field of view test. To assess the extent of the visual field, the person is asked to fix a target in the center of an illuminated sphere, and then a luminous point appears at different points in the visual field.
When to consult?
Consult as soon as you feel a significant pain in the eye and at the same time, the vision decreases rapidly.
Consult with an ophthalmologist regularly to prevent eye disease.
Consult a physician for any problems associated with wearing contact lenses.
Symptoms
To know if one is reached?
Glaucoma visual impairment is usually difficult to detect. For a very long time, the vision in front is preserved because the field of vision deficits occur very slowly, that the two eyes are not always reached in the same way (and so one eye can compensate the other). Only the ophthalmologist is able to detect the first signs of the attack by examining the optic nerve and asking that the visual field is measured. Glaucoma is a sneaky disease, "it enters without knocking", according to the expression often consecrated. The involvement of the optic nerve which it entails is irreversible, and it is therefore not necessary to wait to be detected and treated.
In acute glaucoma, things are different: the increase in eye pressure is very rapid, in a few hours, and the patient feels pain in the eye, redness of the eye, even nausea, and vomiting. The vision is quickly blurred, and the patient can perceive colored halos around the bright lights. Acute glaucoma is an emergency that requires urgent consultation, as sight can be irretrievably compromised.
Cancerous or contagious?
Glaucoma has nothing to do with cancer or contagious disease, and there is no commonality between glaucoma and infections or cancers. Glaucoma is sometimes hereditary but is not at all contagious. There are no special hygiene measures to adopt if you have a glaucomatous patient in your environment.
General impairment or secondary illness?
Glaucoma is a disease that is primarily localized to the eye, with no associated general impairment. Glaucoma has no effect on overall health. However, eye drops that are used to lower eye pressure can, in turn, have an effect on the functioning of the heart or lungs.
When the eye pressure is very high, around 30 mm of mercury, the patient may experience eye discomfort, even headaches or nausea. These disorders disappear when the pressure normalizes. When glaucoma is highly evolved and the field of vision is reduced, it is common for the patient to complain of eyestrain or visual blunder, which is manifested in the case of sustained attention, Generally, attenuate at rest.
Are both eyes always affected in the same way?
Glaucoma is a disease that affects both eyes, but the eyes are gladly touching in a slightly different way. Classically, the most affected eye is the one with the strongest eye pressure, but this is not always true. Finally, there are cases where only one eye is involved in glaucoma. The disease affects only one eye when glaucoma is due to ocular trauma.
Is Symptoms of Glaucoma painful?
In general, glaucoma is a painless disease, because the eye pressure increases very gradually and to a tolerable level (not to cause pain). The absence of obvious symptoms also contributes to making glaucoma a formidable eye disease because the patient feels nothing during most of its evolution.
However, when the eye pressure reaches a certain level (usually around 30-35 mm Hg), the patient may experience pain, either directly in the eye or around the eye (essentially in the orbit And the forehead, more rarely towards the back of the head). Paints are very rare in chronic glaucoma, but very common in acute glaucoma.
Does glaucoma alter visual acuity or color perception?
Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve that will gradually lose its fibers that compose it. There follows a progressive attack on the field of vision, the space that the eye sees gradually diminishing. The vision disappears on the sides and on the nose, but the vision in the center, that which the patient uses to watch the TV or a face, is long preserved. At the ultimate stage, central vision disappears, but this event happily involves only a limited number of patients.
Similarly, color vision is normal in a patient with glaucoma. Obviously, at a very advanced stage of the disease, the perception of the colors is less well because the vision is globally perturbed. A colored vision disorder can also be observed in a glaucomatous patient who develops a cataract because the lens of the eye changes the quality of the light entering the eye.
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