It is an eye disease characterized by increased intraocular pressure that atrophies the optic disc and the hardness of the eye, causing blindness. Its term comes from the Latin "glaucoma" which means "light green" which refers to the coloration that the pupil gets when it suffers from this disease. It is called as a degenerative neuropathy that degrades the fibers of the optic nerve in an acute or chronic way. The optic nerve is in charge of carrying visual information from the eye to the brain, and depending on the severity of the glaucoma, it can be noticed how sight diminishes and begins to cause inconveniences. This kind of condition must be treated urgently as there may be irreversible damage and partial or total loss vision.
The cause that produces this disease comes from a small space that exists in the eye which is called the “anterior chamber”. The liquid that lies in that place comes out through that space to moisten and nourish the ocular tissues. However, as of today there is no logical explanation why when a person has glaucoma, said fluid comes out alarmingly, which causes its accumulation, increasing the pressure of the eye. If that pressure is not controlled, it damages the optic nerve as well as other parts of the eye, causing loss of vision. People who are at the highest risk for glaucoma are:
- People of African American descent over 40 years of age.
- Anyone over 60 years of age.
- People with family members who have had glaucoma.
Symptoms do not usually appear early in the disease. However, as they progress, the person may notice that the side vision begins to fail, they may continue to look straight ahead but not from the sides. It is because of them that regular eye exams are recommended. Despite the fact that a routine checkup does not detect glaucoma, there are those tests where the pupils are dilated allowing the situation to be seen in depth. Although glaucoma has no cure, there are treatments that can control this condition, some of them are:
- Medications: These can be drops or pills to relieve pressure inside the eye and reduce the speed with which fluid enters the optic nerve.
- Laser surgery: this produces small changes that make the process easier, the effects of the surgery may disappear over time so it would be a repetitive situation.
- Surgery: is reserved for cases that cannot be controlled with the above options.
