GLAUCOMA

When we look at an object, the image goes to the brain along the optic nerve. The optic nerve is similar to an electrical cable with a million fine threads running between the eye and the brain. Along these threads the visual message is passed on to the brain. This produces the sensation that we are watching a film of what surrounds us. This is sight.

So, what is Glaucoma?

In the eye there is a place where liquid is continually flowing in and another place where it flows out, the rate of flow and the pressure being constant. If the drainage system is partly or completely blocked, as the eye is a closed cavity, the pressure inside will increase, crushing the arteries feeding the threads and causing progressive damage to the threads. This is the GLAUCOMA, causing the appearance of blind spots in the field of vision.

Are there different types of Glaucoma?

Yes. The most common is the simple open-angled Chronic Glaucoma. It is sometimes diagnosed accidentally. The closed-angled Glaucoma, which causes intense pain, vomiting etc., is less common. In exceptional cases there are others.

How are they discovered?

- By the ophthalmologist when he takes the ocular pressure "by touching".
- In an ophthalmoscopy to observe the papilla or the head of the optic nerve, by means of a light inside the eye.
- By computer scanning of the field of vision
- Through anamnesis of the family, since the Glaucoma has an important hereditary component.

What is the treatment for Glaucoma?

There are eye drops and other medicines that can effectively unblock the drainage system slightly or reduce the inflow of liquid to the eye. The patient should be given a periodical check-up by the ophthalmologist, since some types of medicine may cause side effects.

Is there a cure for Glaucoma?

Injuries to the optic nerve cannot be corrected. What we try to do is avoid further injuries or blind spots.
If medical treatment with eye drops and tablets is not successful, the only other option is to operate using laser or microsurgery.
The patient should be made aware that the GLAUCOMA CAN BE OPERATED on through Trabeculectomy or through placement of drainage valves. In some countries it is believed that the glaucoma cannot be operated on. The purpose of the operation is to create, under local anaesthetic, a new drainage channel.
Your ophthalmologist will decide whether an operation is necessary and which type of operation would be the most suitable.