Facts About Glaucoma San Antonio

By Enid Hinton


Glaucoma refers to a group of eye conditions that result in damage to the optic nerve. This may cause loss of vision. This loss results from the abnormally high pressure within the eye. This condition is among the leading causes of blindness. The loss of sight may be so gradual that one may not notice until it is at an advanced stage. When considering treatment of glaucoma San Antonio residents have various facts to consider.

The most common type of this condition is open angle glaucoma which has no noticeable symptoms save for the fact that the vision will be lost gradually. The damage to the optic nerve may be prevented with timely diagnosis and treatment. This will also mean the vision loss is prevented. Eyes need to be examined regularly during which time the intraocular pressure is measured. The pressure is caused by build-up of aqueous humor which is the fluid flowing into and out of the eyes.

There are various symptoms for the different types of the condition. Gradual peripheral vision loss in both eyes is experienced in open angle glaucoma. In the more advanced stages, tunnel vision will result. Acute closure glaucoma comes with blurred vision, eye pain, nausea, eye reddening and halos around lights. The conditions are called primary when they do not have known causes and secondary when the cause is able to be traced.

Eye specialists recommend that individuals do not wait until there are noticeable problems before seeking medical intervention. For adults aged forty and above, there should be checkups once in every three to five years so that any risk factors are dealt with. This is not however the same for persons of over sixty years. This category of people will need screening every once in a year or two.

There are various risk factors that one ought to be aware of. The first and maybe most important is the internal eye pressure. If it is higher than normal, there will be increased risk of contracting the condition. However, not everyone with elevated internal eye pressure contracts the disease. Age is another crucial factor. Those older than sixty are at a higher risk, especially if they are Mexican-American. African-Americans are likely to develop the disease at a younger age.

The family history will play a very important role. People who have a family history of glaucoma are at a greater risk. The disease may have a genetic link. Thus people in whose families it runs should seek regular medical checkup. Some medical conditions also increase the risk, among them diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

When the eyes are severely injured, they will likely have increased pressure. Other conditions such as eye inflammation, eye tumors, retinal detachment and lens dislocation are also risk factors. The same applies to some forms of eye surgery. People that suffer from short sightedness or long sightedness are also more at risk.

There are preventive measures that may be very instrumental. These include treating of elevated eye pressure, eating healthy diet and wearing eye protection. Wearing of protection will prevent serious eye injuries. A healthy diet improves physical and mental health.




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