You take steps to protect your heart health and skin health, but what about your eye health? The truth is that adults over the age of 40, especially those of African American and Hispanic descent, are at highest risk of glaucoma. By educating yourself now, you can prevent unwanted eye conditions in the future and preserve your quality of life.
The Definition of Glaucoma
The eye achieves clear vision through a complex web of functions, one of which involves the optic nerve. An eye’s optic nerve is responsible for transmitting images to the brain. Glaucoma arises when the optic nerve can’t do its job and vision becomes compromised. Glaucoma is so serious that it can cause blindness in only a few years if left untreated.
Causes of Glaucoma
Glaucoma hurts the optic nerve as a result of increased pressure in the eye. That pressure builds when eye fluid fails to circulate to the front of the eye. As pressure builds up instead of flowing through, the optic nerve becomes paralyzed. Doctors have yet to establish the exact cause of this pressure, but they do know that it is an inherited problem passed from parents to children. Chances are, if one eye has glaucoma, the other will as well.
Symptoms of Glaucoma
Adults over the age of 40 are automatically at risk of glaucoma, but older adults of African American and Hispanic descent and those with diabetes are even more prone to glaucoma. Glaucoma is difficult to diagnose early because it does not present many obvious symptoms until it’s already become a serious problem. Most people first notice loss of peripheral vision, and some with intense eye pressure may suffer from eye pain, headaches, and the appearance of halos around lights.
What Are Treatment Options For Glaucoma?
If you have noticed symptoms that could indicate glaucoma, it’s important to make an appointment with your eye doctor as quickly as possible. A simple test can be performed to focus on the optic nerve and perform a check for eye pressure and loss of side vision.
If your test indicates glaucoma, you do have many different treatments based on the severity of your condition. Some patients just need eye drops, which reduce the formation of fluid in the front of the eye and can even help relieve the pressure with outflow. If eye drops aren’t enough, you could use laser surgery or microsurgery, which are procedures designed to increase outflow for permanently reduced pressure. Once the pressure is lifted, the optic nerve can function properly once again.
At the Eye Clinic of Florida, Dr. Ahad Mahootchi specializes in customized glaucoma treatments to help you protect and regain your vision. Call (813) 779-3338 to make your first appointment.