History of Glaucoma
Glaucoma, known as glaukos among the Greeks, was used to refer to good health and not to define pathologic ophthalmic conditions. In early history, glaucoma was unclear because several changes were seen in different patients; hence the eye condition was vague. According to Leffler et al. (2015, p. 217), glaucoma eye disease was later “defined in antiquity and the Middle Age as a disorder of the crystalline lens.” Since the eye condition was defined in the Middle Age as the crystalline lens, Leffler et al. perceive that the name may be associated with angle-closure, a common cause of loss of vision from glaucoma. 0.4% of glaucoma patients are from European ancestry, notably in Asia (2015, p. 217). Historically, the affected European persons are above the age of 40 years. Angle-closure attracted the attention of medical writers to investigate more on this eye condition that is currently known as glaucoma.
Literature informs medical researchers that glaucoma could be similar to acute closure because they share identical findings. The collective results include a swollen lens, loss of vision, incurability, a glaucous (grey, green, or light blue) pupil and irregular or dilated iris (Leffler et al., 2015, p. 217). In the Middle age era, the greenish colour to the pupil was as a result of the examination using candlelight. However, in the modern world, there is ophthalmic training along with improvised tools for examining angle closure (Leffler et al., 2015, p. 217). Ophthalmologists thus tend to comprehend the greenish hue that was seen in the antiquity age. In the Hippocratic era, the glaucoma eye condition was reported to be a disorder of the aged across all genders and races. This paper focuses on describing glaucoma eye condition, including its history, causes, risk factors, signs and symptoms, and treatment of this eye disorder. This study will also mention current or proposed research that may have a significant impact on the eye condition as well as prevention strategies.
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Description of The Eye Disorder
Glaucoma is a type of eye condition that harms the optic nerve, a vital part of the eye for good vision. The optic nerve plays the role of sending images to the brain (Kim et al., 2017, p. 802). This eye condition is among the leading causes of blindness, notably for persons above the age of 60. This eye disease is a result of build-up pressure known as intraocular pressure inside the eyes. It is difficult to notice this glaucoma because it grows gradually and unnoticed until it gets to the advanced stage, where one may face permanent loss of vision after a few years. China is the leading state known to record a high number of patients with glaucoma across the globe.
Effects on Other Body Systems
Even though glaucoma is an eye condition that leads to total blindness gradually, as the disorder develops, it affects other parts of the body, such as the stomach and brain. As the disorder progress, one begins to have headaches due to straining to have a clear vision. In other words, this eye condition affects the brain that receives visual signals, thus resulting in severe headaches. Glaucoma patients may also feel nausea and throw up.
Causes and Risk Factors of The Eye Condition
Glaucoma is due to the impairment of the optic nerve. This disorder progresses gradually by developing a blind spot in people’s visual field. This nerve injury is as a result of build-up pressure from aqueous humor inside the eye. The aqueous humor then drains out through trabecular meshwork tissue where cornea and iris meet. Overproduction or failure to tap out this internal fluid enhances the eye pressure, thus leading to the development of glaucoma. The disorder is hereditary when it is in the family. Besides, it is evident in some genes which already have optic nerve damage and high eye pressure related issues.
There are two types of glaucoma that include primary open-angle glaucoma and angle-closure or closed-angle-glaucoma. Primary open-angle glaucoma is common in most individuals experiencing this disorder as it is the first stage of this eye condition (Boyd, 2019). When it occurs, the eyes do not drain fluid, thus increasing the eye pressure. As a result, the optical nerve is damaged. Having sensitive optic nerve also leads to normal eye pressure, thus facing high chances of having glaucoma. Angle-closure or closed-angle-glaucoma happens when an individual’s iris is closer to the drainage angle, thus blocking the drainage angle hence increasing eye pressure.
Lingering forms of this eye disorder can harm the vision before visible signs and symptoms. Therefore, people should be aware that there are risk factors involved with encountering the disease, such as being Asian, Hispanic, or black. Besides, being over the age of 60 years, being born in a family with glaucoma history, and being extremely short/long-sighted that increases the chances of getting the disease (Lou et al., 2015, p. 825). Also, having intraocular pressure, eye injury or surgery, and taking eyedrops, especially corticosteroid for a long duration leads to glaucoma. People with medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, sickle cell anaemia, and heart disease are also at high risk of having glaucoma.
Brief Descriptions of Signs or Symptoms
If one experiences primary open-angle glaucoma, the symptoms include tunnel vision in the developed phases of the disorder. There will also be the presence of patchy blind spots in the central vision. At the acute angle-closure type, some signs and symptoms appear that include blurred vision, eye redness, vomiting, nausea, severe headache, eye pain, and halos around lights. If the condition is left unattended, it will result in total blindness. Nonetheless, even though people receive treatment, some patients still experience a permanent loss of vision.
Treatment and Side Effects
At the primary, open-angle glaucoma, individuals experience high internal pressure in the eyes. The necessary medication should work on reducing the pressure and enhancing the flow out of aqueous humor fluid or plummeting the fluid’s production. Laser and surgery are the appropriate remedies for this condition (Fang et al., 2017, p. 2092). Once diagnosed, patients use eye drops to decrease eye pressure because this is a chronic eye condition. Besides, patients also need a consistent check-up with ophthalmologists. Acute angle-closure needs permanent laser treatment. During treatment, a hole is made in the iris to enable drainage of the internal eye fluid. Both eyes undergo treatment even if only one is affected to avoid a future attack. Still, patients need to have regular follow-ups with their doctors for progress monitoring. If complications after treatment arise, doctors can implement other remedies such as surgical implants, laser trabeculoplasty, or trabeculectomy surgery.
Conclusion
Further research is necessary to come up with ideal diagnoses that have less risk to people in the future. Since glaucoma runs in families with a history of the disorder, people need to know if they are at risk then ensure they maintain continuous eye screening. Doctors can also recommend regular safe exercises that will help minimize eye pressure. It is also essential for people at risk to have regular eye examinations to help detect glaucoma at an early stage. Besides, it is crucial to take glaucoma eyedrops to reduce chances of advancement of the eye disorder. Lastly, it is always essential to protect the eye from any form of harm. Therefore, having discovered that glaucoma is a dangerous eye disease, it is vital for people always to protect their eye regardless of being exposed to the risk factors to prevent eye injuries that may trigger the eye condition.
References
Boyd, K. (2019, August 28). What is glaucoma? American Academy of Ophthalmology. https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-is-glaucoma
Fang, Y., Long, Q., Wang, X., Jiang, R., & Sun, X. (2017). Intraocular pressure 1 year after vitrectomy in eyes without a history of glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Clinical Ophthalmology , Volume 11 , 2091-2097. https://doi.org/10.2147/opth.s144985
Kim, C. Y., Park, K. H., Ahn, J., Ahn, M., Cha, S. C., Kim, H. S., Kim, J. M., Kim, M. J., Kim, T., Kim, Y. Y., Lee, J. W., Park, S., Sohn, Y. H., Sung, K. R., Yoo, C., Cha, J., & Kim, Y. (2017). Treatment patterns and medication adherence of patients with glaucoma in South Korea. British Journal of Ophthalmology , 101 (6), 801-807. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjophthalmol-2016-308505
Leffler, C. T., Hadi, T., Salman, A., Vasuki, V., & Schwartz, S. (2015). The early history of glaucoma: The glaucous eye (800 BC to 1050 AD). Clinical Ophthalmology , 9 , 207-215. https://doi.org/10.2147/opth.s77471
Lou, F., Zhao, Y., Fu, J., Li, Y., & Li, P. (2015). Epidemiology and clinical characteristics of patients with glaucoma: An analysis of hospital data between 2003 and 2012. Indian Journal of Ophthalmology , 63 (11), 825-831. https://doi.org/10.4103/0301-4738.171963
