Arizona Glaucoma Treatment

One in fifty people over the age of 35 experience symptoms of Glaucoma.

One of the leading causes of blindness in America is Glaucoma. It affects between 2 and 3 million Americans every year, and many of those affected do not even know they have the disorder. Glaucoma usually has few or no warning signs until damage has already been done to the eye, so it has been nick-named the sneak thief of sight. Glaucoma is caused by the eye's inability to withstand existing pressure within the eye.

Two chambers make up the front of the eye, and both are filled with a fluid called aqueous humor. The outer chamber lies between the cornea and the iris. The inner chamber surrounds the lens of the eye. The aqueous humor is constantly produced and drains out of the eye into the bloodstream. The aqueous humor’s function is to maintain normal pressure within the eye, but for people with glaucoma, this fluid may drain too slowly. The result is a buildup of excess fluid and pressure inside the eye. When the pressure becomes too high, the nerve fibers and blood vessels in the optic nerve, which carries messages from the eye to the brain, can become damaged or destroyed.

There are several variations of glaucoma. The most common variation is chronic glaucoma. It is painless and causes very gradual vision loss. This type of glaucoma has no true cure, but it can usually be controlled with medication or surgery.

Acute glaucoma is more dramatic and much less common than chronic. It usually accelerates very quickly, within 24 hours, and is often accompanied by severe eye pain and nausea. This type of glaucoma is considered an emergency and must be treated without hesitation. Congenital and secondary glaucoma are two other types of glaucoma. Congenital glaucoma is present at birth and is very rare. Secondary glaucoma is caused by eye injury or other eye disease.

The best way to prevent a loss of vision due to glaucoma is through regular eye examinations by your ophthalmologist or optometrist.