Glaucoma is a serious disease of the eye which may lead to loss of peripheral vision and, if untreated, total blindness. The precise cause of glaucoma is not known, but is related to the production and removal of the fluid in the eye known as the aqueous humor. It is a transparent fluid that provides nutrition to the lens and cornea and transmits light rays to the retina at the back of the eye. Aqueous humor leaves the eye through a sieve-like tissue called the trabecular meshwork, and glaucoma is believed to be caused by changes in the meshwork that prevent aqueous humor from leaving the eye. The result is increased pressure within the eye. There may be no symptoms initially and there is no cure, although not all people with increased intraocular pressure have glaucoma.
Glaucoma treatment cannot cure the condition, but it can dramatically slow or temporarily halt its progress. Glaucoma can be treated with either medication or surgery. Both of these treatments are aimed at lowering intraocular pressure (IOP), or pressure within the eye. In the United States, medications are usually the first-line of glaucoma treatment. If this fails, then glaucoma surgery is the next treatment considered.
Research into glaucoma causes and treatments is ongoing. There are a number of studies underway examining the genetics and heritability of glaucoma as well as new approaches to glaucoma therapy. The Glaucoma Research Foundation, for example, cites several goals including protecting and restoring the optic nerve; accurately monitoring the progression of glaucoma; finding the genes responsible for glaucomas; understanding the intraocular pressure system and developing better treatments; and determining risk factors for glaucoma damage.
Glaucoma medications are either oral or topical. Topical medications such as eye drops, eye ointments, or inserts (strips of medication inserted in the corner of the eye) work to reduce IOP either by increasing the outflow of fluid from the eye or by reducing the amount of fluid produced by the eye. To learn more about the condition, examine the risk factors and symptoms of glaucoma. It is important to tell all of your doctors about any glaucoma medications that you are using. In order for these medications to work, you must take them regularly and continuously as they were prescribed.
Glaucoma treatments include medicines, laser trabeculoplasty, conventional surgery, or a combination of any of these. While these treatments may save remaining vision, they do not improve sight already lost from glaucoma.
Medicines, in the form of eyedrops or pills, are the most common early treatment for glaucoma. Some medicines cause the eye to make less fluid. Others lower pressure by helping fluid drain from the eye. Before you begin glaucoma treatment, tell your eye care professional about other medicines you may be taking. Sometimes the drops can interfere with the way other medicines work. Glaucoma medicines may be taken several times a day. Most people have no problems. However, some medicines can cause headaches or other side effects. For example, drops may cause stinging, burning, and redness in the eyes. Many drugs are available to treat glaucoma. If you have problems with one medicine, tell your eye care professional. Treatment with a different dose or a new drug may be possible.
Laser trabeculoplasty helps fluid drain out of the eye. Your doctor may suggest this step at any time. In many cases, you need to keep taking glaucoma drugs after this procedure. Laser trabeculoplasty is performed in your doctor’s office or eye clinic. Before the surgery, numbing drops will be applied to your eye. As you sit facing the laser machine, your doctor will hold a special lens to your eye. A high-intensity beam of light is aimed at the lens and reflected onto the meshwork inside your eye. You may see flashes of bright green or red light. The laser makes several evenly spaced burns that stretch the drainage holes in the meshwork. This allows the fluid to drain better.
Filtering surgery. If eyedrops and laser surgery aren’t effective in controlling your eye pressure, you may need an operation called a filtering procedure, usually in the form of a trabeculectomy (truh-bek-u-LEK-tuh-me). This procedure is done in a hospital or an outpatient surgery center. You’ll receive eyedrops, a medication to help you relax and usually an injection of anesthetic to numb your eye. Using delicate instruments under an operating microscope, your surgeon creates an opening in the sclera — the white of your eye — and removes a small piece of the trabecular meshwork. The aqueous humor can now freely leave the eye through this hole. As a result, your eye pressure will be lowered. The hole is covered by the conjunctiva, so trabeculectomy leaves no open hole in your eye. This procedure works best if you haven’t had any previous eye surgery. Your doctor will check your eye during several follow-up visits and you’ll need to use antibiotic and anti-inflammatory eyedrops to fight infection and scarring of the newly created drainage opening.
Drainage implants. Another type of operation, called drainage implant surgery, may be an option for people with secondary glaucoma or for children with glaucoma. Drainage implant surgery takes place in a hospital or an outpatient clinic, and consists of a doctor inserting a small silicone tube in your eye to help drain aqueous humor. After the surgery, you’ll wear an eye patch for 24 hours and use eyedrops for several weeks to fight infection and scarring.
In some instances, your vision may not be as good as it was before conventional surgery. Conventional surgery can cause side effects, including cataract, problems with the cornea, and inflammation or infection inside the eye. The buildup of fluid in the back of the eye may cause some patients to see shadows in their vision. If you have any of these problems, tell your doctor so a treatment plan can be developed.
Tags: aqueous humor, cornea, eye drops, eye work, glaucoma, glaucoma medications, glaucoma research foundation, glaucoma surgery, glaucoma therapy, glaucoma treatment, light rays, optic nerve, precise cause, topical medications, transparent fluid