Glaucoma treatment

A glaucoma is the dangerous disease, leading to the full and irreversible loss of vision.  Such severe consequences are caused by the increased intraocular pressure, gradually leading to the death (atrophy) of the visual nerve and, as a result, the blindness.

The specific danger consists in the fact that in some cases, the glaucoma at the initial stage virtually does not manifest itself, and the person starts suspecting of the disease only when the vision is virtually completely lost.

The people above 40 should be very attentive, especially if they are ill with the diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis or have hereditary predisposition to the glaucoma. If the glaucoma is diagnosed, then the best way of keeping the eyesight is the timely visit to the doctor and its further treatment.

Depending on the time of development and diagnosis, glaucoma is divided into:

• congenital – diagnosed in a child during the first years of life (as a rule, does not require specific treatment);
• acquired – develops in an adult, mainly after the age of 40 and requires regular monitoring and treatment.

In turn, acquired glaucoma is divided into:

• open-angle – accompanied by impaired fluid outflow through the open angle of the intraocular chamber;
• angle-closure – fluid outflow is impeded due to complete closure of the angle of the ocular chamber.

Also, glaucoma is divided into:

• pigmentary – develops due to pigment deposition on the iris of the eye;
• normotensive – due to nerve damage;
• phacogenic – due to a change in the shape of the lens;
• inflammatory – due to inflammation in the vascular system of the eye;
• dystrophic – due to retinal dystrophy, etc.

The effective glaucoma treatment always starts from the thorough diagnosis, which includes:

• measurement of intraocular pressure (contactless – pneumotonometry)
• visual acuity test
• fundoscopy
• examination of intraocular fluid outflow
• visual field test

The glaucoma treatment can be performed by using medications or surgically. The medication therapy consists in decreasing the intraocular pressure, improving the blood circulation and metabolism in the eye. The medications are selected individually by the experienced specialist; the self-treatment is not recommended as it can cause the acute glaucoma, with which the vision loss can onset very quickly.

If the medication therapy does not produce the necessary effect, the doctor orders the operation, which will help to normalize the intraocular pressure. The experienced eye care professional performs surgery under local anesthesia. The hospitalization is not required and the patient can go home after the operation and short-period stay in the day patient department (if necessary).

The glaucoma is a chronic disease; that is why even after treatment, the regular checkups by the eye care professional and observance of certain rules are required.

Make appointment for consultation with the eye care professionalof Oxford Medical Kyiv clinic by calling us or filling out the form on our website.