What treatments are available for glaucoma? Depending on how far your glaucoma has progressed, most cases are able to be controlled by medication. However, with many advances in surgical procedures, you may wish to consider surgical options.  While there are particular treatments that can delay loss of vision, scientists have still not been able to find a cure for glaucoma. This means that any vision that has been lost along the way cannot be restored. Some common treatments include: Medication There are certain types of prescription medications that your eye doctor may prescribe to you, that help to reduce the amount of fluid that is produced within the eye. Some pills also help to better drain fluid from your eye. In turn, this helps to reduce the pressure inside the eye. A common medication used to treat glaucoma include: Betagan Osmitrol Trusopt Alphagan Lumigan Pilopine As with any medication, you may experience unwanted side-effects, which should be reported to your doctor if it raises any concerns. Eye drops Unlike regular eye drops that help to hydrate dry eyes, glaucoma eye drops are specially medicated to help lower eye pressure. This is done by either reducing the amount of fluid your eyes produce or by helping that fluid to better flow from the eye, via the drainage canal.

How is glaucoma diagnosed? There are many tests that can be carried out by your eye doctor to determine whether or not you have glaucoma. Regularly having your eyes checked over by a specialist is the best way to avoid glaucoma. Diagnosing glaucoma early on, allows treatment to begin to preserve your sight.  Because open angle closure glaucoma has little to no symptoms, many tests may be required to be undertaken, before reaching a final diagnosis. Tonometer This is a test that helps to determine the pressure inside your eye called intraocular pressure . Elevated pressure within the eye is known to cause damage to the optic nerve. Your eye doctor will place eye drops into your eye that works as an anesthetic.  The tonometer machine is placed in front of you, where you can comfortably rest your chin and forehead against the padded support. A slit lamp is moved into position to focus on the center of your eye.  The tonometer device on the lamp then presses slightly against your cornea. The reaction to this slight pressure is then measured by the tonometer sensor. This test is essential in diagnosing glaucoma. The eye pressure result recorded by what is called millimeters of mercury or mmHg.

What causes glaucoma? It is estimated that approximately 10 to 33% of those with open-angle glaucoma have inherited certain types of mutations in their genes from their parents. In particular, a gene called the MYOC gene, which gives instructions for the production of myocilin, a type of protein that is found in parts of the eye.  When mutations occur, there can be excess protein formation, which stops the free-flowing movement of fluid to and from the eye. This is because the body continues to produce fluid to keep the eyes hydrated, but it cannot properly drain from the eye.  In a healthy eye, fluid should leave the eye through what is called a trabecular meshwork , which can be viewed as a small pipeline for the fluid to exit. When fluid does not drain so freely, this causes a lot of pressure within the eye and leads to damage to the optic nerve. This damage is often irreversible, as the optic nerve has been robbed of nutrients and oxygen over a lengthy period of time. For this reason, early intervention is crucial. Warning signs of glaucoma Open-angle glaucoma Unfortunately, there are no warning signs or symptoms with this predominant form of glaucoma.

When you suffer from any disease that affects your eyesight, it can be a daunting process to get to the bottom of what’s really going on. You often take your sight for granted until a serious disease threatens to take your vision away. Glaucoma is a set of eye diseases which can gradually and unknowingly become worse over your lifetime. In rarer cases, it can affect your vision by way of sudden attack. So exactly what is glaucoma, and how can you avoid becoming a victim of this increasingly common disease? Glaucoma is a set of eye diseases that can lead to blindness if left untreated. The common cause of glaucoma is a build-up of pressure in the eye, often when excess fluid becomes blocked. This fluid is known as aqueous fluid. Because of ongoing pressure from this built-up fluid, the sensitive optic nerve, which is located at the back of the eye can become damaged and may lead to irreversible blindness. T he optic nerve is important, as it’s made up of over one million nerve fibers, which help to send information to the brain about the images we see. What’s challenging about glaucoma is that there are usually no symptoms to suggest its presence.