The term “glaucoma” combines a group of diseases with characteristic features:
The progression of glaucoma leads to degeneration of retinal ganglion cells and atrophic changes in the optic nerve.
Glaucoma affects more than 70 million people worldwide, with about 10% suffering from bilateral blindness, making it the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world. This disease has a significant negative impact on the psychological, social and emotional state of patients.
Glaucoma can remain asymptomatic for quite a long time.
Glaucoma can be divided into 2 types:
About 80% of cases are open-angle glaucoma; however, angle-closure glaucoma causes severe vision loss more often and more quickly. Open-angle and closed-angle glaucoma can be the primary disease.
Secondary glaucoma can result from injury, certain medications (corticosteroids), inflammation, tumor, or conditions such as pigment dispersion or pseudoexfoliation.
Primary open angle glaucoma
The most common type of glaucoma. It develops due to an imbalance between the production and outflow of intraocular fluid. As a result, eye pressure increases and begins to damage the optic nerve. This type of glaucoma is painless and does not cause vision changes at first.
Some people may have optic nerves that are sensitive to normal eye pressure. This means they are at higher risk than usual of developing glaucoma. In such cases, normal pressure glaucoma develops. Regular eye exams are important to detect early signs of optic nerve damage.
Angle-closure glaucoma (or "narrow-angle glaucoma")
This type of glaucoma develops in eyes where the iris is very close to the anterior chamber angle, i.e. to the drainage system. Thus, when the pupil dilates, the iris can block the drainage of intraocular fluid. Think of it like a piece of paper sliding down a sink drain. When the drainage angle is completely blocked, eye pressure increases very quickly. This is called an acute attack of glaucoma. This is truly an emergency condition that requires immediate attention from an ophthalmologist. Otherwise, there is a high risk of significant vision loss and blindness.
Signs of an acute attack of angle-closure glaucoma:
For many people with angle-closure glaucoma, the disease progresses slowly. This is called chronic angle-closure glaucoma. The asymptomatic course leads to the fact that patients often turn to an ophthalmologist when an attack of angle-closure glaucoma occurs.
Risk factors that should prompt you to visit an ophthalmologist for glaucoma:
The importance of performing an appropriate ophthalmological examination of the eye cannot be overemphasized in relation to the early detection of glaucoma.
The main goal in glaucoma treatment is to reduce intraocular pressure to those individual values at which the progression of retinal ganglion cell degeneration will be stopped. In our Crystal Vision EYE Clinic in Bahrain glaucoma treatment includes conservative, laser and surgical methods.
The choice of treatment method depends on the type of glaucoma, the level of intraocular pressure, and the effectiveness of conservative therapy.
