Glaucoma is a collective name for a group of diseases that damage the optic nerve, usually due to increased intraocular pressure, initially resulting in damage to peripheral vision and later to central vision.
The eye needs intraocular pressure to maintain its shape and function properly.
The function of the optic nerve is to transmit information from the retinal layer that absorbs the light entering the eye to the brain where it is received as an image.
In a state of imbalance where intraocular pressure is high, there is damage to the optic nerve and vision.
Behind the iris (the colored layer of the eye) is a layer of cells that produces a fluid called aqueous humor.
The fluid passes through a hole in the center of the iris (pupil) to drain into tiny drainage tubes located in the angle formed between the cornea (the outer layer of the eye) and the iris.
In a normal state, there is a balance between the incoming and outgoing fluid, but if there is an overproduction of fluid or a drainage problem, intraocular pressure will rise. This condition causes damage to the optic nerve fibers and impairs vision.
The damage that occurs depends on the degree of pressure and how long the nerve is under this pressure.
Very high intraocular pressure will cause immediate damage, more chronic pressure will cause gradual and slow damage, and if the condition is not treated, there is a risk of vision loss.
There are 4 types of glaucoma:
Chronic glaucoma is asymptomatic and therefore dangerous. It is not noticeable until it is in a late and irreversible stage. The initial vision loss appears as an arc, slightly above or below the center of vision when looking straight ahead. This area grows and spreads if left untreated.
The visual center is damaged last, and only then does the patient feel the visual impairment, and finally there is the sensation of "tunnel vision." Over time, this vision also disappears, leading to blindness.
Over the age of 40, the disease is more common, and therefore a routine examination by an ophthalmologist should be performed every two years. During this examination, the doctor checks the appearance of the optic nerve and the intraocular pressure. If necessary, the patient is also sent for a visual field test.
The main treatment is to lower the pressure inside the eye. Some treatments involve increasing the blood supply to the optic nerve. Treatment usually begins with eye drops to reduce the production of fluid inside the eye or to open the eye's drainage system so that more fluid can drain out of the eye.
If this solution is not sufficient, the recommendation will be laser surgery or a surgical solution to improve drainage.
Damage caused by chronic glaucoma is irreversible, but with proper treatment, its progression can be prevented.
In this type of glaucoma, intraocular pressure rises rapidly due to adhesion of the outer part of the eye (the cornea) to the iris (the colored part), and as a result, the intraocular fluid cannot drain into the channels at the angle between them. This is why this condition is sometimes called "angle-closure glaucoma."
Symptoms: The sudden increase in pressure can be accompanied by severe pain, the eye can become red, and visual acuity decreases to the point of blindness.
This condition may also be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. At the beginning of the attack, the patient may experience colored halos around white lights.
Sometimes patients experience a series of small attacks, usually in the evening. Vision becomes blurred, and the patient feels colored halos around white lights and discomfort.
Treatment: In a severe attack, the patient must be hospitalized to immediately lower the pressure and reduce the pain. With the help of medication, the pressure will be reduced and drainage will be increased after just a few hours. Vision will also improve in the meantime.
After the acute phase is over, the doctor will sometimes suggest making a small hole at the edge of the iris using a laser or surgery to allow for better drainage.
If treatment is immediate and effective, vision can return to normal without damage. Delaying treatment will result in vision loss. There are Which can alleviate impaired vision and allow for an improvement in the quality of life even for glaucoma patients.
Glaucoma is considered a disease that affects peripheral vision. But it significantly affects
About the ability to read, which is one of the main functions performed by central vision?
Moderate to severe glaucoma patients often feel that they see blurry, as if through a fog that affects their central vision. Therefore, people with glaucoma have difficulty recognizing letters at a quick glance.
They have to look at the text multiple times to read a paragraph to the end.
The result is slow reading and difficulty reading long words.
Also, when reading, a person uses the middle peripheral area. When moving from one line to another, moving from the end of a line to the beginning of the next line, or searching for information in a text, this area is used. A glaucoma patient will have difficulty with this aspect of reading.
Even when glaucoma patients can read, they have difficulty. After a long time of reading, a person with moderate/severe glaucoma tires more quickly and reading speed decreases. There is also less understanding of the material being read. These reasons lead to little reading and as a result, patients become less independent and less connected to the world.
To implement these changes, an examination by an optometrist specializing in low vision is necessary. The solutions are individual and must be adapted to each patient. Many factors must be taken into account in a successful adjustment.
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