What is Glaucoma?

Causes of glaucoma

Causes of glaucoma Abnormalities in the water pressure of the lens are the cause of this disease. The human eye has an organ called the anterior chamber (angle) between the iris and the cornea, which contains a fluid called aqueous humor, which carries oxygen and nutrients to the tissues. Aqueous fluid flows out of the anterior through a complex drainage system. In normal people, the aqueous fluid produced by the cornea is balanced with the water flowing out, which normalizes the water pressure in the eye. But in people with glaucoma, the water in the cornea will flow out less or too much, causing the water pressure in the eye to increase gradually. Increasing the water pressure will damage the optic nerve and lead to a complete loss of vision.

Who can get this disease?

In Cambodia, the incidence of glaucoma is about 3.1%, of which it is more common in the elderly over the age of 40 and more likely to occur in women. Men. Also, it is observed that the disease occurs in both eyes and almost 80% of patients do not know that he has this disease. In addition, the disease is more common in the following groups of people:

• People who use reading glasses before the age of 40
• Patients who overdose or over-the-counter eye drops
• Increasing Age
• Diabetes (Dietetic Retinopathy)
• Cataracts that have not been treated with surgery
• Disc Hemorrhage
• Eye Trauma
• High myopia
• Have a family who got this disease
• Especially for Asians and Africans, etc.

The main symptoms of glaucoma

The disease has almost no signs of letting the patient know in advance that they have the disease unless more than 80% of the optic nerve is damaged, the patient can show some of the following signs as a whole:

• Headache (mostly unilateral and early in the morning)
• Swollen eyes and dizziness
• Red and sore eyes
• Feel vomit nausea
• Clearly see only the object in front and blurred the object at the side
• Frequent eye irritation, etc., but in the following stages

There are three types of glaucoma.

1. Early-stage glaucoma (Tess in glaucoma):

sometimes asymptomatic.

2. Acute glaucoma (angle-closure):

It develops rapidly. It causes redness and pain in the eyes along with loss of vision. Patients may experience nausea, headache, and eye pain under intense light. Sometimes patients may see a color ring or halos around the light. If left untreated, acute glaucoma can cause blindness within a few days. Refer patients for immediate medical assistance. First, they will need eye drops to reduce the pressure in the eye. Then they will need laser treatment or surgery. This stage usually occurs in middle-aged or older people.

3. Open-angle glaucoma:

For chronic glaucoma, the pressure in both eyes increases slowly over many months and years. It does not hurt. Side vision lost earlier. When glaucoma worsens, it looks like a tunnel. Often the patient does not notice until the vision loss is severe. The eye can be examined sideways and examined in the eye for glaucoma. The sooner the treatment, the better. Treatment with laser eye drops or surgery can stop vision from getting worse.

Treatment of glaucoma

Treatment of glaucoma Doctors need to make a clear diagnosis of any type of glaucoma, and we need to follow up or be treated with medication or surgery if necessary. If we have treated in time, it can prevent blindness to some extent. But if we do not treat it properly in time, it can lead to blindness.

The goal of treatment is to prevent the patient's eyes from developing into a disability. Obviously, treatment can be done in several ways, such as:

• Medicinal use: There are two groups of drugs that reduce the discharge in the back and the other group is a drug that helps to drain better.
• Laser treatment with a modern machine: one type of laser makes a hole in the iris and the other type of laser shoots the part to be drained (we often use laser therapy and drugs in combination. Each).
• Surgery: can be performed in case of ineffective use of drugs in combination with laser.

(Note:) Glaucoma is a disease that requires lifelong treatment, even after successful treatment, requires regular follow-up appointments. See your doctor. On the other hand, for patients who receive the right treatment, only the remaining vision can be maintained, not the lost vision can be restored. Conversely, in the absence of timely treatment, the patient may face complete blindness for life because the optic nerve is damaged and cannot be restored. Therefore, the sooner the disease is detected, the more effective the treatment to prevent blindness.

Therefore, it is generally recommended that people over the age of 40 go to an ophthalmologist for regular eye health check-ups.