When you experience severe eye pain accompanied by headache and abdominal pain, these could be symptoms of glaucoma. Glaucoma is an eye condition that damages a person’s optic nerve and even gets worse as time passes by.
This condition often has a link to a buildup of pressure in the eye’s interior. As the pressure increases, the force will soon damage the optic nerve. Once it continues, glaucoma can result in permanent loss of eyesight. If left untreated, it can cause total permanent vision loss in a matter of a few years. WebMD says that adults over the age of 40, young adults, infants, and children can develop glaucoma.
Primary signs and symptoms
The signs and symptoms of this eye condition can vary depending on the stage and type of glaucoma. For those with open-angle glaucoma, they often experience patchy blind spots on their peripheral or central vision. Mayo Clinic says that this type of glaucoma affects both eyes. People with open-angle glaucoma also experience tunnel vision in the progressive stages, too.
Some patients experience acute angle-closure glaucoma, which includes severe headache and eye pain. They also feel nausea, vomiting, and blurred vision, too. Other symptoms include halos around lights as well as eye redness.
Treatments for glaucoma
There are several types of treatment, depending on the severity of the condition. Aside from getting smart glasses online, your doctor can advise you to use prescription eye drops or get laser surgery. Another option is a microsurgery procedure to reduce the pressure in the eyes.
Using eye drops can reduce the formation of fluid in the eye area. It can also help improve the outflow of the liquid, which helps relieve the eye pressure. However, using eye drops can have side effects, too. These include allergies and stinging around the eye. It’ll also cause redness and irritation, too.
Meanwhile, laser surgery helps to enhance the flow of the fluid slightly from the eye area. The procedure includes trabeculoplasty or opening of the drainage area. It also includes iridotomy or making an incision into the iris to let the fluid flow. The last process involved with the treatment is cyclophotocoagulation. It’s a process that helps treat the parts of the middle layer of the patient’s eye to reduce the pressure.
The last procedure is microsurgery. A doctor must create a new channel to drain the fluid and relieve the eye from the pressure. However, there are times that this procedure can fail and must be repeated. Once the happens, the doctor might need to implant a tube to help drain all the fluid. The surgery can also result in temporary or permanent loss of vision. It can also cause bleeding or even infection.
These are only a few of the things that you need to know about glaucoma. Although there is no way to prevent it, early diagnosis and treatment can help you control the disease. Most patients diagnosed with glaucoma who strictly follow their treatment procedure reduces the chances of getting blind. That’s why it’s best to immediately go to a doctor once you see any of its symptoms.
