January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month and February is Low Vision Awareness Month, so let's talk about how to protect your vision and minimize the damage that gradually happens to your eyes.
Get to Know Glaucoma
Glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness in the U.S., is often described as a group of eye disorders that ultimately causes blindness. Although it is most commonly seen in adults over the age of 40, congenital glaucoma exists as well. Glaucoma typically affects the optic nerve, which is extremely important. With about one million individual nerve fibers, the optic nerve works to transmit visual signals from the eyes to the brain.
The most common form of glaucoma, primary open-angle glaucoma, slowly develops over time and usually lacks any symptoms. Fluid pressure builds in the eye, leading to damage to the optic nerve and eventually vision loss or even blindness. However, a less common form of glaucoma known as acute angle-closure glaucoma occurs quickly and requires immediate attention.
Limit Your Risk
Doctors and scientists associate most cases of glaucoma with increased fluid pressure in the eye, yet the actual cause of glaucoma is still unknown. They predict that each type of glaucoma has different causes or risk factors.
According to the American Optometric Association, there are a number of factors that put a person at risk for developing glaucoma including age, race, existing medical conditions, genetic disposition and more. For instance, having a family history of glaucoma puts an individual at greater risk and some studies show that diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease may increase that risk as well.
The fact of the matter is everyone is at risk and should take their optic health seriously. Make sure to keep up with your visits to the optometrist and to protect your eyes from the risks you can control. Physical impact to the eyes can result in an immediate increase in eye pressure; physical trauma can also dislocate the lens, which could close the drainage angle and increase pressure. Aside from protecting the eyes from physical injuries, a person should also avoid using corticosteroids like cortisone, hydrocortisone and prednisone for extended periods of time, as this also puts you at risk.
Treatments
Although there is no cure, there is a way to manage treatment and avoid complete loss of vision once diagnosed with glaucoma. Treatment focuses on reducing eye pressure, which can often be achieved with the regular use of prescription eye drops, though some cases require systemic medications, laser treatment or other surgery.
In recent years, you may have heard medical marijuana come up in conversation about glaucoma treatment. Though there have been studies conducted to test the drug’s impact on intraocular pressure, there have been too few participants in the studies to make claims on behalf of the drug’s effectiveness. In several cases, there did seem to be a reduction of pressure, but the effects were only temporary.
Emma Mathews is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
