What Causes Vision Loss in Glaucoma?

Is glaucoma blind? At first glance, this seems like a simple question. But here's a hint: Glaucoma's blind spot is not an increase in intraocular pressure

Indeed, high intraocular pressure is an important risk factor and is the only factor that can be treated. Lowering the pressure can also slow down the vision loss of glaucoma. Unfortunately, even when controlling intraocular pressure, loss of vision may continue and even if stress is relieved, loss of vision does not recover. To understand why we need to investigate the anatomical structure of the eye in more detail.

The retina of the eye is a piece of neuron (called a neuron) that converts an optical signal into an electrical impulse that travels along the optic nerve to the brain. The optic nerve consists of about 5 million thin fibers generated from specialized neurons called retinal ganglion cells. Ganglion cell fibers leave the eye on the optic disc and many features of glaucoma are known for ophthalmic examination.

I do not know the reason, retinal ganglion cells in the optic nerve and its fibers are particularly vulnerable to stress. This vulnerability increases with age Actually, age is the greatest risk factor for glaucoma. As the population ages, the number of cases including these neurological injuries increases without high intraocular pressure and the injury continues even if the stress is alleviated by drugs or surgery.

Therefore, the blind spot of glaucoma is damage of retinal ganglion neurons and their fibers in the optic nerve. Because these structures are part of the central nervous system like the brain and spinal cord, their healing ability is very limited. Therefore, many researchers think that glaucoma is an age-related cerebral disease such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

Researchers expect that by studying other such neurodegenerative diseases, we can identify common causes that will help develop a new treatment directly targeting true blindness glaucoma .

Dr. David J. Calkins, Vanderbilt Ophthalmology Research Director, Vanderbilt Visual Research Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville Tennessee

Glaucoma - visual disorder caused by no ocular compression due to fluid retention. Permanent injury varies from peripheral vision loss to severe vision loss. People suffering from glaucoma may experience increased headache frequency, vision impairment, halos around the light, difficulty viewing in the dark, even students who do not react at all, pain, even swelling of the eyes. Learn more about glaucoma. Conical cornea - Ophthalmic diseases that cause loss of vision and varying degrees of vision loss from blurred, double or distorted vision to severe vision loss can not be improved with eyeglasses or other common optical aids. The keratoconus is formed by severe astigmatism, the cornea becomes thinner and becomes a conical bulge.

There is no known method for preventing glaucoma, but if the disease is recognized early, it can prevent blindness or significant visual loss of glaucoma. In its most common form - primary open angle glaucoma - loss of vision is silent, slow and progressive. Normally it affects lateral vision (peripheral vision) first, and as the progression progresses, central vision loss

Primary open-angle glaucoma, the most common form of glaucoma, develops slowly, usually without symptoms. Many people do not know that they suffer from this disease until they cause significant visual loss. Initially glaucoma affects peripheral or lateral vision, but it may promote central vision loss. If it is left untreated, glaucoma can significantly lower the eyesight of both eyes and may even cause blindness. A less common type of glaucoma, acute angle-closure glaucoma usually occurs suddenly due to a sharp rise in intraocular pressure. Symptoms may include violent eye pain, nausea, redness of the eyes, halo or colored circles around the light, and blurred eyes. This is an emergency situation that can cause severe visual acuity quickly; let's meet the optometrist right away