5 Facts You Should Know About Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a serious condition where pressure builds up on your optic nerve, causing progressive damage. If it isn’t caught early on, glaucoma can lead to total vision loss. And unfortunately, it often does — glaucoma is the number one cause of blindness across the world.

But all hope is not lost — early detection is the best way to protect your vision from glaucoma. So let’s look at five facts you should should know about glaucoma:

There are two different kinds of glaucoma

The two main kinds of glaucoma are angle-closure and open-angle. Open-angle is the most common type of glaucoma; it causes your peripheral vision to decrease slowly over time.

Angle-closure is less common; it causes the pressure in the eye to build quickly. And it can cause serious and painful symptoms like eye pain, severe headaches, and nausea.

The most common type of glaucoma doesn’t cause any symptoms

Angle-closure does cause noticeable symptoms that will require immediate treatment. But open-angle glaucoma — the most common form — often doesn’t cause any noticeable symptoms. Because of this, many people don’t realize there is a problem until significant vision loss has occurred.

Anyone can develop glaucoma — but certain factors put you at higher risk

Anyone can develop glaucoma at any age. However, there are certain factors that will put you at higher risk. Glaucoma is most common in individuals past the age of 60. And a family history increases your chances for glaucoma as well. And individuals that have diabetes, myopia, and ocular hypertension are at higher risk for developing glaucoma.

Any vision lost to glaucoma can never be restored

There is not yet a cure for glaucoma and any vision lost cannot be regained.

There’s no cure for glaucoma but there are treatments available

However, glaucoma is treatable with eye drops, medication, and surgery. It’s important to catch glaucoma early so you can begin treatment and minimize any future vision loss.

If you are concerned about your risk for glaucoma, contact our office today to schedule your comprehensive vision exam.