Facts on glaucoma:
- Irreversible damage to the optic nerve causing side vision loss
- Usually due to high eye pressure
- Usually no symptoms until permanent vision loss
- One of the leading causes of blindness
Symptoms:
- No symptom in most cases until significant loss of side vision
- In cases when there is a sudden rise in eye pressure, one may experience eye pain, blurry vision and halos around lights
Risk Factors:
- Age of 60 or over
- High amount of nearsightness
- History of eye surgery
- Family history of glaucoma
- Patient of Afriacan descent
Prevention:
- Early detection is crucial to effective treatments, so the best prevention is regular comprehensive eye exam.
Treatment:
- Eye drops to decrease eye pressure
- Surgeries, again to lower eye pressure, may be required when eye drops are ineffective
