Glaucoma
One out of every 50 people over the age of 35 suffers from glaucoma
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in America. It affects between 2 and 3 million Americans each year. Many of those affected do not even know they have the disorder.
Because it often has few or no warning signs until damage has already been done to the eye, it has been called the sneak thief of sight.
Glaucoma is caused by the eye's inability to withstand existing pressure within the eye. The front of the eye is made up of two chambers, both filled with a fluid called aqueous humor.
The outermost chamber lies between the cornea and the iris. The innermost chamber surrounds the lens of the eye. The aqueous humor is constantly produced and drains out of the eye into the bloodstream.
Ordinarily, the aqueous humor helps maintain normal pressure within the eye, but for people with glaucoma, the fluid may drain too slowly. The result is a buildup of fluid and pressure inside the eye. When the pressure is too high, the nerve fibers and blood vessels in the optic nerve, which carries messages from the eye to the brain, can be damaged or destroyed.
The most common is called chronic-glaucoma. It is painless and causes very gradual vision loss. This type can not be cured but it can usually be effectively controlled with medication or surgery.
Acute-glaucoma is more dramatic and much less common than chronic. It often develops very quickly, within 24 hours, and is often accompanied by severe eye pain and nausea. This type is an emergency and must be treated immediately. Congenital and secondary glaucoma are two other types. Congenital glaucoma is present at birth and is very rare. Secondary is the result of an eye injury or other eye disease.
The best defense against glaucoma is regular eye examinations by your ophthalmologist or optometrist. Early detection can mean the difference between normal and lost vision. Dr. Lewis and Dr. Chang are Southwestern Eye Center's Arizona glaucoma specialist with offices at our following locations: Phoenix, Mesa, Casa Grande, Nogales, Safford, Prescott, Cottonwood, Maryvale, Sedona, Sun City, Village of Oak Creek and Yuma, Arizona.
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