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Friday, January 8, 2016

By Ryan Cox


Glaucoma is among the most feared conditions that affect the eyes. When one is first diagnosed with glaucoma, the world around him almost crumbles. It is a condition that is known to cause painless, relentless and progressive vision loss. It is the second commonest cause of blindness that can be prevented. The condition affects the optic nerve, which leads to gradual loss of vision. When considering glaucoma San Antonio residents should know some facts about the condition.

The main cause of glaucoma is the increase in pressure in the eyes which in turn damages the optic nerves. One of the things that cause this is prolonged working under insufficient lights. The problem might also be caused by toxic conditions resulting from wrong feeding habits. There also are secondary contributory factors such as strain in eyes and excess stress.

There are also risk factors that will increase the chances of one suffering from it. These include having high internal pressure, being over 60 years old, having a family history of the condition and having eye injury. There are also health conditions that are risk factors, including heart disease, diabetes, sickle cell anemia and high blood pressure. Eye conditions like nearsightedness also increase chances of contracting it.

There are no noticeable signs or symptoms of the condition until permanent results. It is advisable to regularly visit an eye specialist for comprehensive care and check up. If there are problems with vision or symptoms of glaucoma, there should be an appointment with an ophthalmologist. As part of the checkup, the doctor will ask if the patient is having any discomfort in the eyes, if they take supplements or whether they have a history of the condition.

The damage that is cause by the condition is not able to be reversed. However, treatment and use of regular drops will help in slowing down the loss of vision if the person contracts it in its early stage. The main aim of treatment is to lower pressure within the eyes. Depending on the condition of the individual, the options may include laser treatment, eye drops or surgery.

In case the eye drops do not reduce pressure in the eyes, there may be the prescription of oral medications. In most cases, oral medications will come with such side effects as frequent urination, depression and kidney stones. Stomach upsets may also be experienced.

Laser therapy and surgical procedures are also options. These also come with complications like redness, pain, inflammation, infections and bleeding among others. There are types of surgery that speed up development of cataracts. After surgery, one would need to see the doctor for follow up. If the pressure begins to rise again, the procedures may be repeated.

There are a number of modes of prevention. Most importantly, the eyes should be taken for checkup once in a while. Other options include taking prescribed eye drops, wearing eye protection and exercising carefully.




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