What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that are usually due to increased pressure inside the eye which damages the optic nerve and if untreated, can lead to irreversible blindness.
Who are at risk for developing Glaucoma?
- Age 40 and older.
- Female gender.
- Those with family history of glaucoma (Diabetic Retinopathy)
- Those with diabetes and high blood pressure.
- Those with heart diseases.
- Eye injury.
- Long term use of steroids.
What are the types of Glaucoma?
- Open-Angle Glaucoma: The most common form of glaucoma, accounting for at least 90% of all glaucoma cases.
- Is caused by the slow clogging of the drainage canals, resulting in increased eye pressure
- Has a wide and open angle between the iris and cornea
- Develops slowly and is a lifelong condition
- Causes gradual loss of peripheral vision and if untreated there will be loss of central vision also.
- It is called the silent thief of vision because there are no symptoms.
- Angle closure Glaucoma: A less common form of glaucoma. It is also called acute glaucoma or narrow-angle glaucoma. Unlike open-angle glaucoma, angle-closure glaucoma is a result of the angle between the iris and cornea closing.
- Develops very quickly causing rapid pressure build-up inside the eye leading to abrupt onset of eye pain, redness, blurry vision, headache, nausea and visual halos.
- Demands immediate medical attention.
- Normal tension Glaucoma: In normal-tension glaucoma the optic nerve is damaged even though the eye pressure is not very high. Optic nerve is damaged due to low blood flow or due to genetic hypersensitivity to pressure inside the eye.
- Congenital Glaucoma: This type of glaucoma occurs in babies when there is incorrect or incomplete development of the eye’s drainage canals during the prenatal period.
How to diagnose Glaucoma?
Your doctor will review your medical history and conduct a comprehensive eye examination. Glaucoma is a silent disease, which presents with no symptoms until advanced stage and blindness. Eye doctors can pick up glaucoma in early stage by examination. He or she may perform several tests, including:
- Measuring intraocular pressure (Tonometry).
- Testing for optic nerve damage with a dilated eye examination and imaging tests
- Checking for field of vision loss (visual field test)
- Measuring corneal thickness (pachymetry)
- Inspecting the drainage angle (gonioscopy).
- Scanning of optic nerve head – OCT – ONH/ RNFL analysis
What are the treatment options for Glaucoma?
The damage caused by glaucoma can’t be reversed. But treatment and regular checkups can help slow or prevent vision loss, especially if you catch the disease in its early stages.
Glaucoma is treated by lowering your eye pressure (intraocular pressure). Depending on your situation, your options may include prescription eye drops, oral medications, laser treatment, surgery or a combination of any of these. Read more details about Glaucoma treatment at Shekar Eye Hospital.
When is Glaucoma surgery needed?
The only proven treatment of glaucoma is lowering of intraocular pressure in order to prevent or to slow down the damage to the optic nerve. Glaucoma treatment usually begins with medications or laser techniques, but when these have failed or are not tolerated, your ophthalmologist may suggest surgical procedures.
What is trabeculectomy?
- During trabeculectomy, a piece of tissue in the drainage angle of the eye is removed, creating an opening.
- The opening is partially covered with a flap of tissue from the sclera, the white part of the eye, and the conjunctiva, the clear thin covering over the sclera.
- This new opening allows fluid to drain out of the eye, bypassing the clogged drainage channels .
- As the fluid flows through the new drainage opening, the tissue over the opening rises to form a little blister or bubble, called a bleb.
- During office visits after surgery, the doctor looks at the bleb to make sure that fluid is still draining out of the new opening.
Is trabeculectomy a major operation?
- The patient need not be admitted to the hospital.
- After surgery, the eyelid is usually taped shut, and a hard covering (eye shield) is placed over the eye.
- The patient wears a dressing over the eye during the first night after surgery and wears the eye shield at bedtime for up to a month.
- Corticosteroid medicines are usually applied to the eye for about 1 to 2 months after surgery to decrease inflammation in the eye.
- He/she will be called for checkup the following day.
- He/she need to avoid bending, lifting, or straining for several weeks after surgery.
- Usually there is mild discomfort after a trabeculectomy. Severe pain may be a sign of complications.
- If he/she has severe pain after a trabeculectomy, they should contact doctor immediately.
What is Shekar eye Hospital’s specialization in the field?
Our hospital’s Operating Room for Retinal surgeries is equipped with standard and state of the art instruments. The operating microscope used is ‘Leica’ with an option for BIOM attachment, BIOM is an abbreviation for Binocular Indirect Ophthalmo-Microscope.
Shekar Eye Hospital has qualified glaucoma specialist with very good experience in treating glaucoma patients. We have many glaucoma patients who are following up with our hospital from many years. Many of the patients have undergone surgery for glaucoma, who are doing very well. Regular follow up with glaucoma specialist can help in treating the condition as it’s a chronic eye disease.
