Glaucoma, popularly known as "eye pressure" or "blackwater disease", is an insidious disease that causes vision loss with damage to the optic nerve due to high intraocular pressure. Since it is a very insidious disease, early diagnosis is very important. Since most patients come late when vision loss begins, their vision level may be affected.
Under normal conditions, intraocular fluid is constantly produced and circulated in a balanced manner by being absorbed through special canals within the eye, thus keeping intraocular pressure balanced. Although 20-21 mmHg intraocular pressure is generally accepted as the limit value in population-based studies, optic nerves may be affected at lower intraocular pressure levels. Damage to the optic nerve due to intraocular pressure is the main factor in glaucoma and can cause permanent vision loss and blindness.
Among the symptoms of the disease; Blurred vision, headaches, eye pain, scattered lights at night, redness of the eyes, feeling of nausea, seeing foggy surroundings can be listed. Visual impairment or pain may not be observed in the initial stages, and it may not cause symptoms in the early period. If the disease is not diagnosed at an early stage and progresses, loss of vision from the periphery to the center can be observed due to optic nerve damage. In closed-angle glaucoma, the first symptoms may be severe eye pain, headache and blurred vision.
Among the factors that increase the risk of glaucoma; Factors such as advanced age, family history of glaucoma (genetic predisposition), presence of high myopia or hyperopia, smoking, diabetes mellitus, extremely low or high blood pressure, receiving cortisone treatment, and exposure to eye injuries can be listed.
In cases where glaucoma is suspected; Evaluation is made with various examinations such as intraocular pressure measurements (tonometer), examination of the eye drainage angle (gonioscopy), visual field test, optical coherence tomography (OCT) showing optic nerve findings, and corneal thickness measurement (pachymetry). Drop therapy, drug therapy, laser therapy depending on the condition and stage of the disease or surgical treatment is applied.
Delay in diagnosis of glaucoma can cause irreversible progressive vision loss. Since it is an insidious disease, it would be appropriate to have regular eye checks every year for early diagnosis and treatment.
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