ADS

About

To Treat Glaucoma San Antonio Should Be Prioritized

By Ruth Stevens


Glaucoma refers to a collection of diseases affecting eyes which when not treated causes total blindness. The loss in vision occurs when optic nerves get damaged. There are three types of the condition, that is, closed-angle, open-angle, and normal-tension glaucoma. Of these three varieties, the one that occurs more commonly is the open-angle glaucoma. It takes a long time to present and is dangerous because it is not associated with pain. For a better understanding of glaucoma San Antonio should be the location to check out.

Open-angle glaucoma needs immediate treatment when noticed. It can be noticed through slight loss in side vision, which is followed by decrease in central vision before total blindness occurs. Closed-angle type can reveal itself slowly over time or may occur suddenly. Sudden appearance of the disease is often associated with nausea, redness of the affected eye, mid-dilated pupil, blurred vision, and severe eye pain.

When one loses vision due to glaucoma, it cannot be reversed because it is permanent. The condition has several risk factors associated with it. They include high blood pressure, family history of the condition, obesity, migraines, and eye pressure. Different factors cause different varieties of the disease.

The progress of the disease can be slowed or a total treatment can be achieved if treatment starts in early stages of the disease. One can choose of the various treatment options available including medication, surgery, and laser treatment. These treatment options aim to lower the amount of pressure in eyes. Treatments are categorized into categories. Each category may be better to a certain variety in which it may have higher efficiency. For example, laser treatment has a higher success rate on open- and closed-angle types.

Surgery is only reserved to people who are not responding to other forms of treatment. The closed-angle variety is often treated as a medical emergency. Global statistics indicate that between 11 and 67 million people in the world suffer from this condition. In the United States alone, more than two million people are affected. The disease is more prevalent among older people. More women suffer from the closed-angle variety according to research findings.

Glaucoma is the second major cause of blindness worldwide after cataracts. Because it does not present any acute symptoms, it is important to go for regular eye checkups. Changes in optic nerve and visual field loss are the only likely symptoms. Some people believe that the condition can be caused by lack of certain vitamins, which makes vitamin supplements a treatment. That understanding has not been supported by scientific research.

Eyes are often screened for glaucoma during standard eye examinations. The examination may be performed by an optometrist or an ophthalmologist. The process entails several procedures including optical coherence tomography, tonometry, gonioscopy, scanning laser polarimetry, pathymetry, and scanning laser ophthalmoscopy. Which procedures are performed depend on the diseases diagnosed and the eye specialist doing the examination.

Medication may cause systemic and local side effects. It can also be expensive and confusing to stick to the medication protocols. It has been found that failure to stick to medication regimens and make follow-up visits is the main cause of blind among patients with this disease. If unpleasant side effects occur, the patient should be willing to persevere.




About the Author:



About