Glaucoma damages the optic nerve, and this causes alterations of the visual field. This eye condition ranks third in causes of blindness around the world, after cataract and AMD (Age-related Macular Degeneration).

WHAT IS GLAUCOMA?

There are several types of glaucoma:

• Primary open-angle glaucoma: this is the most commonly form of the disease (90% of cases). It is caused by blockage of the drainage channels in the eye, preventing aqueous humour from draining. Most often, it only becomes evident after it has been progressing for several years. It generally affects both eyes.
• Acute angle-closure glaucoma: it is rarer and may occur when the pupil dilates due to physiological reasons (stress, darkness, cold temperatures) or pharmacological ones (medicines). This causes pressure inside the eye (intra-ocular pressure) to increase suddenly and significantly, and the sufferer typically experiences symptoms such as severe eye pain and headache, vomiting, or sudden loss of sight. In this event, action must be taken immediately to prevent irreversible damage to the optic nerve.
• Secondary glaucoma: this type of glaucoma occurs as a result of trauma, eye disease, eye surgery or certain medical treatments (side effects).
• Congenital glaucoma: it can happen at the birth. It is an extremely rare condition associated with eye malformation.
• Normal tension glaucoma: this is a primary open-angle glaucoma, but with normal intra-ocular pressure (below 21 mmHg). It is diagnosed based on abnormalities in the visual field or optic nerve head, intra-ocular pressure below 21 mmHg, or an open angle.

 

Although the precise cause of glaucoma is not fully understood, several factors have been proven to make it more likely to occur:

• Increased intra-ocular pressure above 21 mmHg: this is the main factor. However, not all eye hypertonia (or hypertension) leads to glaucoma; conversely, glaucoma can occur even when intra-ocular pressure is normal (normal tension glaucoma).
• Age: glaucoma generally occurs after the age of 40, and it becomes more frequent as people get older.
• Short-sightedness; long-sightedness
• Hereditary: if a parent suffers from glaucoma, there is an increased risk that their offspring will develop the condition. The risk is increased if a parent suffers from glaucoma.
• Certain illnesses: arterial hypertension, diabetes, or prolonged intake of corticoid treatment may increase the risk of glaucoma.

 

SYMPTOMS OF GLAUCOMA

There are several treatment options for open-angle glaucoma, the most common form of glauco-ma. Unfortunately they cannot cure glaucoma, but they can slow down the progression of this condition by decreasing and stabilising intra-ocular pressure. Nevertheless, if visual impairment is confirmed by the diagnosis it is irreversible.

First-line treatment for primacy open-angle glaucoma is the installation of eye drops. They must be instilled at the same time each day, for life, and without interruption. Intra-ocular pressure can of-ten by lessened solely by using eye drops.

Until now, eye drops contained preservatives to protect them from contamination after first open-ing. However, numerous local side effects were reported due to these preservative substances. For this reason new products were marketed, thanks to which open-angle glaucoma can now be treated with preservative-free eye drops, thus eliminating any long-term effects on eye structures.

If eye drops alone are unable to slow down the glaucoma progression of this condition, ophthal-mologists can perform laser treatment in the clinic. It is sometimes necessary to introduce again with eye drops a few months or years after laser treatment.

If the glaucoma does not respond to eye drop and laser treatment, surgery may be envisaged as a last resort. This procedure will halt any further progression of glaucoma, but will not lead to recov-ery of lost vision.

Today, The prescribed eye drops allows most of glaucoma patients to retain functional eyesight. However, regular medical follow-up and daily treatment with eye drops are crucial for preventing glaucoma from progression.