Glaucoma Causes, Symptoms, Treatment Methods, and 5 Prevention Tips

I will explain the causes, symptoms, treatment methods, and 5 prevention tips for glaucoma. Some people may think that glaucoma is a natural condition that occurs with age. It is important to remember the ways to prevent glaucoma, which can lead to blindness if left untreated.

Glaucoma

The goal of glaucoma treatment is to lower intraocular pressure to prevent optic nerve damage and maintain good vision for a lifetime. Intraocular pressure refers to the pressure within the eye, and there are three main ways to lower it. The first is medication, the second is laser treatment, and the third is surgical treatment.

Glaucoma Causes

Glaucoma occurs when the green pigment cells inside the eye interfere with the circulation of aqueous humor. This phenomenon usually occurs due to an increase in intraocular pressure. Intraocular pressure is regulated by the overall amount of fluid in the eye and the pressure maintained by the internal fluid leaving the eye. If the intraocular pressure is consistently high, the structures inside the eye can be damaged, the optic nerve can be damaged, and vision can be impaired.

Glaucoma can be associated with genetic factors, aging, diabetes, hypertension, thyroid dysfunction, and ophthalmic surgery. Also, the use of medications that increase intraocular pressure can induce glaucoma.

Since glaucoma may not have any symptoms in the early stages, regular eye examinations are important. If glaucoma is diagnosed, it is important to reduce intraocular pressure and prevent progression through appropriate treatment.

Medication Treatment

Most patients start with medication, and it is most desirable to be treated at this stage. Medication usually involves instilling eye drops once or twice and instilling them daily. You need to instill them consistently for life. However, glaucoma medications have different side effects.

Common side effects of commonly used medications include initial redness for about 3 days, eyelash lengthening, and darkening around the eyes, making it look like dark circles, and the eyelids may become slightly sunken.

Also, if you are using glaucoma medication containing beta-blockers, it can worsen arrhythmias or asthma, so you need to check your underlying conditions and choose medications accordingly.

It is best to control the condition with medication, but if there are side effects from medication, or if the treatment is not responsive, or if you are pregnant and cannot use medication, you can consider laser treatment.

Laser Treatment

Laser treatment includes Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT). The fluid that fills our eyes is called aqueous humor.

This aqueous humor is produced and drained out in a balanced state. The final gateway where it drains out is called the trabecular meshwork. The resistance of the trabecular meshwork increases, causing intraocular pressure to rise and glaucoma to develop, so this is a laser treatment that lowers the resistance of the trabecular meshwork.

Also, there is a type of glaucoma called angle-closure glaucoma. In this type of glaucoma, the aqueous humor drains out through the trabecular meshwork, but the pathway is narrowed by pressure from the iris or other structures, causing an increase in intraocular pressure. In this case, the drainage pathway needs to be opened, so a laser peripheral iridotomy can be performed to create a hole in the iris.

Surgical Methods

Surgical methods are essentially a last resort. If it is well controlled with medication, there is no need to resort to surgical methods. This is because glaucoma surgery does not fundamentally cure glaucoma but rather performs surgery to lower intraocular pressure.

Therefore, it is best to treat with intraocular pressure-lowering medications, but if the response to the medication is poor, or if the side effects are severe, or if the intraocular pressure is still too high even after using all the medications, surgery may be necessary.

1. Trabeculectomy

A representative surgical procedure is trabeculectomy. In simple terms, it involves creating a hole in the drainage pathway for aqueous humor to drain out, so after the surgery, a blister forms in the upper area. This is because the aqueous humor is designed to drain out like groundwater under the conjunctiva, causing a blister to form in the upper area. It is a rather risky surgery.

It can lead to low intraocular pressure, infection, and adhesion, which can reduce the effectiveness of treatment. Therefore, trabeculectomy can cause a decrease in vision for about a week after the surgery, so it is better to treat with medication if possible.

2. Ahmed Valve Implantation

If you have undergone eye surgery or have severe conjunctival adhesion, a surgical procedure called Ahmed valve implantation is possible. A silicone tube is inserted into the eye, and a valve is connected to the end of the tube. This valve is designed to open only when the intraocular pressure rises above a certain level. So, when the intraocular pressure rises significantly, the valve opens, allowing aqueous humor to drain out and reduce intraocular pressure.

3. Microsurgical Procedures

Recently, microsurgical procedures using devices like the Xen or iStent have become more common. These are the smallest surgical instruments in the world, and they are inserted into the trabecular meshwork to drain aqueous humor.

Prevention Methods

Lifestyle is very important for glaucoma. Since the environment plays a significant role in this condition, improving lifestyle habits is crucial. When wearing neckties or belts, do not tighten them too much. And it's common sense, but smoking is not good. It's better to drink alcohol in moderation.

Spending a long time looking at smartphones or books in a dark place while bending your head can significantly increase intraocular pressure, so be careful. Among exercises, aerobic exercise can help improve glaucoma.

Aerobic exercise, when done for a long time, such as 20 minutes or more, can lower intraocular pressure on its own. And while strength training is not particularly helpful for glaucoma, it should be done for overall health. However, yoga poses or exercise equipment that involve hanging upside down are not good.

Studies have shown that intraocular pressure can increase more than twice when doing such exercises. Therefore, people with glaucoma should avoid handstands. Also, drinking a lot of coffee can increase intraocular pressure, so it is recommended to limit it to two cups a day.

In Conclusion

If you are over 40 and have never had an eye exam, or if you have a family history of glaucoma or have hypertension, diabetes, thyroid disease, autoimmune disease, etc., it might be a good idea to get an eye health checkup.