Understanding Glaucoma with Your Houston Optometrist
Glaucoma is a serious eye disease that is the leading cause of sight loss in people over 60. Although there is no cure for glaucoma, the professionals at Exquisite Eye Care serves Houston can create a treatment plan to slow the progression of the disease. We can help you spot the early signs of glaucoma before it becomes a serious issue.
What Is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a variety of conditions that are related to damages of the optic nerve. If left untreated, glaucoma can result in eye pain, nausea, and even permanent vision loss. The early signs of this disease often go unnoticed without proper testing. The two common types of glaucoma are open-angle and acute angle-closure glaucoma.
Open-angle glaucoma occurs when the fluid in your eyes drain slowly due to issues with the eye's drainage system. When the fluid cannot drain properly, it causes an increase in eye pressure, resulting in permanent damage to the optic nerve. Angle-closure glaucoma occurs when the fluid in your eyes cannot drain at all. This causes a rapid spike in eye pressure causing permanent damage to the optic nerve.
Signs of Glaucoma to Look Out for
Open-angle glaucoma affects you gradually. It causes no pain or vision changes during its initial stages. These characteristics make it difficult to know whether you are affected. The only sure way of finding out is with regular eye exams by an optometrist. Open-angle glaucoma occurs when the fluid in your eyes drain slowly due to issues with the eye's drainage system. When the fluid cannot drain properly, it causes an increase in eye pressure, resulting in permanent damage to the optic nerve.
Acute angle-closure glaucoma, also known as narrow-angle or closed-angle glaucoma, occurs after the iris blocks your eye’s drainage angle. This blockage makes the eye pressure increase rapidly. This type of Glaucoma usually affects older people, especially those with untreated cataracts. This causes a rapid spike in eye pressure causing permanent damage to the optic nerve. If not treated properly, narrow-angle glaucoma can cause permanent vision loss. Common signs of acute angle-closure glaucoma are:
- Sudden blurred vision
- Severe eye pain – usually intense, excruciating pain and is associated with eye reddening
- Vomiting and nausea
- Headache on the forehead or around the eyes
- Seeing Halos surrounding lights – for example, rainbow-colored rings encircling the lights
Contact Us to Properly Treat Your Glaucoma in Houston and Friendswood
Because glaucoma shows no early symptoms, it is essential that you schedule an annual eye exam with our team at Exquisite Eye Care serves Houston. We can create a treatment plan to help slow the progression of the disease to help preserve your vision. Contact us today to see how we can help you at our Houston location.