PERHAPS
the scariest thing about glaucoma is the fact that it exhibits no symptom: one
day your eyesight is just fine, the next day your vision is already blurred or
there are already black splotches off to the sides when you are looking
straight ahead. Even the culprit behind glaucoma—the build-up of pressure
inside the eye may develop slowly and painlessly, the person would not be able
to detect it.
And once symptoms
are felt, it may be already too late
for the person.
This is because when
excess fluid pressure within the eyeball builds up to an abnormally high level,
the optic nerve—the fragile bundle of fibers at the back of
the eye that carries visual messages from
the retina to the brain—gets so compressed to the point that it will be
permanently damaged.
Once this has occurred, the only
thing that you and your doctor can do is slow down if not halt the damage that
glaucoma has already caused. Once damage has occurred, it cannot be reversed.
Interestingly, glaucoma
is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the Philippines, according to
the Philippine Glaucoma Society, an internationally recognized leader in providing quality
glaucoma care in the country through education, exchange of ideas, research and
publication.
With its vision, “That No
Filipino will ever go blind from glaucoma’’ the Philippine Glaucoma Society has
teamed up with Allergan to aggressively promote
awareness of the disease. Allergan is a global, technology-driven
multi-specialty health care company that pursues therapeutic advances in
various fields including the delivery of leading products that address
glaucoma.
According to the
Philippine Glaucoma Society, the only way to stop glaucoma in its tracks is for one to have regular eye screening.
Considering that there is no single test to diagnose glaucoma, one
has to undergo specific tests including the one that measures the inner
pressure via an instrument called a tonometer. The instrument touches a very
small portion of the eye and is usually painless. While a pressure exceeding the normal range of
between 10-21 millimeters of mercury—especially if it is higher than 21 mm of
mercury—may not immediately cause glaucoma, such high reading should be
regarded as a significant risk factor.
Other tests that may be recommended
include ophthalmoscopy, which employs placing additional lenses in front of
your eye to visualize the optic nerve. The bright light may cause some glare
and discomfort. It may be necessary in some cases to dilate the pupils of the
eye with eyedrops to enhance the view of the optic nerve. If the pressure
within your eye is not normal or if your optic nerve looks unusual, then the
doctor may ask you to take a few more more tests: perimetry and gonioscopy; perimetry,
which is a test that maps out your overall field of vision (if glaucoma has
been diagnosed, then this test should be done at least twice a year to
determine changes in your vision); gonioscopy, which determines the status of
the drainage channels of the eye with the use of additional lenses; and
pachymetry, which measures the thickness of the cornea since it affects
measurements of eye pressure.
Once glaucoma is identified as the
cause of the sight problem, the treatment that follows are all aimed to
preserve whatever vision remains through the employment of regular eye drops,
laser surgery or even conventional eye surgery.
One should also remember that only a
doctor, preferably an ophthalmologist, can pinpoint exactly if it truly is
glaucoma that is ruining the eyesight. If an abnormally high eye pressure is
detected, the doctor will usually perform the additional tests outlined above
to verify if glaucoma is indeed present.
While most individuals may experience
no symptom, a few who were later diagnosed with glaucoma have previously
complained of the following: episodes of eye and head pain, blurred vision,
redness, headache, vomiting and seeing rainbows around lights.
But even without experiencing any
symptoms, the fact that one has a family history of glaucoma (especially parents or brothers and sisters) may merit
special vigilance. Having a high
reading of fluid pressure inside the eye, being aged over 45 years, a record of
previous eye injury, been a chronic steroid user, diabetic may predispose one
to developing glaucoma. Have your eyes
examined regularly.
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