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Glaucoma |
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What is glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that gradually steals sight without warning and often without symptoms. Vision loss is caused by damage to the optic nerve. This nerve acts like an electric cable containing over a million wires and is responsible for carrying the images we see to the brain.
It was once thought that high intraocular pressure (IOP) was the main cause of this optic nerve damage. Although IOP is clearly a risk factor, we now know that other factors must also be involved since even people with "normal" IOP can experience vision loss from glaucoma. Glaucoma is a chronic disease. It must be treated for life. To date, its causes are not well understood, and there is no cure.
What are the symptoms of glaucoma?
In most cases, there are no warning signs. In the later stages of the disease, some symptoms may occur. These can include loss of side vision (also called peripheral vision), difficulty focusing on close work, seeing colored rings or halos around lights, headaches and eye pain, frequent changes of prescription glasses, and difficulty adjusting eyes to the dark.
The best way to find out if you have glaucoma is to get regular and complete eye exams. |
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