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By Eloise Hewitt


Glaucoma refers not just to one eye disease but a group of eye conditions that bring about damage of the optic nerve. This may result to vision loss. When there is too high pressure within the eye, known as intraocular pressure, this is likely to lead to eye damage. It is among the leading causes of blindness and damages vision slowly in such a way that one may not realize the loss of vision until later in the advanced stages. When considering treatment of glaucoma San Antonio residents should know all details involved.

Of the various types of this condition, the most common is primary-angle glaucoma. This has no noticeable symptoms other than the fact that it becomes more defined during the advanced stages. With early diagnosis and timely treatment, any damage to the optic nerve may be prevented. During the periodic examination of the eyes, there should be measurement of intraocular pressure.

The most common types of this condition, primary open-angle and angle-closure, have very varying symptoms. The former has two main types; tunnel vision during advanced stages and gradual loss of peripheral vision in both eyes. The latter has symptoms such as eye pain, blurred vision, vomiting, nausea and sudden onset of visual disturbance. The conditions are referred to as primary when the cause is unknown and secondary when its cause can be traced to known causes.

Patients are advised not to wait until the symptoms are in the advanced stages. The best way to detect this condition early is to go for regular check-ups. Some of the indicators to look out for are strong headaches, nausea, eye pain and halos around the eyes. Any such symptoms should be shared with the doctor.

There is the fluid known as aqueous humor that flows in and out of eyes. When the fluid builds up inside the eye, there is increased pressure. This fluid gets out of the eye via a drainage system that is at the angle where the iris and cornea meet. If in any case the drainage system does not work well, then the fluid does not filter normally from the eyes. There is thus pressure build-up in the eyes.

Among the many causes of glaucoma, there are risk factors that enhance possibility of suffering from it. One such factor is age, with people over 40 the most affected when it comes to angle-closure glaucoma. For the African Americans, there is a higher risk of developing the condition, plus it takes place in younger people. Mexican-Americans over 60 years are at increased risk.

People with a family history of the condition are more prone to suffer from it. There also is a defect on one or more genes and this makes some people more at risk than others. Further, heart diseases, diabetes and high blood pressure are some of the medical conditions that increase risk of glaucoma.

The main aim of treatment is reduction of pressure in the eyes. For treatment of this condition, the doctors may lower pressure of eyes, improve drainage of the eyes and also reduce amount of fluid produced in the eyes. It cannot be cured and damages resulting from it cannot be reversed. However, early detection prevents vision loss.




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