At Ophthalteam we provide comprehensive care for your eyes, working across a range of medical disciplines including ocular glaucoma.
What is glaucoma?
Ocular glaucoma is a degenerative disease in which the eye pressure inside the eye increases, causing it to generate a certain pressure. Considering that the liquid inside the eye must be constantly renewed, if any part of the process fails (drainage), the intraocular pressure increases and damages the optic nerve. Ophthalmology professionals in our center work every day to improve the health of patients suffering from glaucoma. It is important to mention that glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness. But, as with other diseases, early diagnosis is of vital importance to avoid further complications.
Risk factors for the disease
First of all, it is necessary to take into account whether a person has a family history of glaucoma. At Ophthalteam, we recommend periodic vision check-ups every two years to rule out any problems. Secondly, this pathology affects people from forty years of age onwards. On the other hand, it has a higher incidence in Asian people and people of color, as well as in people with higher levels of myopia.
Other aspects that influence the detection of glaucoma are those patients who take certain medication, such as corticosteroids. And, in addition, those who have diabetes and arterial hypertension.
Symptoms
It should be alerted when peripheral vision is affected. The eyes become reddened and visual disturbances appear, such as blurred vision, halos of light and tunnel vision (in advanced stages). How are glaucoma sufferers with normalized pressure? This means that their eye pressure is at normal levels, but the symptoms mentioned above are present. We are referring to blind spots in the vision and certain problems in the optic nerve. It can happen on certain occasions that the opposite effect occurs. There are patients who have a healthy optic nerve and, nevertheless, the ocular tension they have is high. This pathology is known as ocular hypertension.
Diagnosis and treatment
The team of professional ophthalmologists test their patients to find out whether they really have glaucoma or not. It is called tonometry and, in it, the intraocular pressure is taken as a reference. All of our patients whose levels are above normal have ocular glaucoma. However, to be even more professional and avoid errors, the test is completed with an examination of the visual field and observation of the optic nerve located at the back of the eye. This is the only way to know with total accuracy if glaucoma is a reality, since the ocular pressure itself is not the only reference.
The treatments available to our patients at Ophthalteam to control ocular glaucoma are medical or surgical. Ophthalmologists follow up the patient with campimetry and also with Heidelberg optic nerve tomography OCT, and GDX.