Glaucoma
Glaucoma, which is called “Intraocular pressure” among people, is defined as eye nerve damage caused by increased intraocular pressure. It is a common eye disease that causes permanent vision loss if not diagnosed and treated early.
Under normal conditions, there is a fluid known as “aqueous fluid” in our eye, and this intraocular fluid leaves the eye simultaneously in some ways (trabecular meshwork). In glaucoma, a blockage occurs in the outflow tract of the intraocular fluid that cannot be seen with the naked eye, and as a result, this increased intraocular fluid causes an increase in intraocular pressure. Increased intraocular pressure also damages the optic nerve, also known as the optic nerve, through pressure, causing irreversible damage to the nerve.
Who Is Commonly Seen With Eye Blood Pressure? Who is at Risk?
- Advanced age
- Family history of glaucoma (Genetic predisposition)
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- Myopia (far-sightedness) refractive error
- Receiving long-term cortisone therapy
- Suffering from an eye injury
Since these factors increase the incidence of eye pressure, people at risk should have their eye examinations early and have their intraocular pressure measured during their follow-up.
Does Eye Pressure Heal Completely?
Unfortunately, the damage that occurs after the diagnosis of glaucoma is irreversible. The reason for this is that the nervous tissue, which is the most developed tissue in our body, does not have the ability to regenerate itself. However, the purpose of the treatment; It is to prevent the development of additional damage on top of the existing damage and further increase in vision loss.
If you have been diagnosed with glaucoma, the treatment of your disease and its follow-up at certain intervals prescribed by your doctor will continue for the rest of your life. For this reason, it is very important that you regularly follow the monitoring program recommended by your eye doctor and carefully follow the recommended treatment.
Glaucoma is treated with eye drops that lower intraocular pressure. A surgical option or laser intervention is another option used to reduce intraocular pressure. Some patients may require more than one surgical intervention.
The frequency will be applied as recommended by your doctor, but the important thing here is that the eye drops must be used every day. Within the scope of drug treatment with different active ingredients recommended by your doctor, you should drip eye drops or drops at regular intervals once or several times a day. instillation of drops at specified times; It will increase the effectiveness of the treatment and provide a more effective intraocular pressure drop.
The most important issue is to use your eye drops at the time recommended by your doctor. Thus, you can remember the time of your eye drops more easily and at the same time, you will provide a more effective intraocular pressure drop, which prevents the disease from getting worse. Eye drops used to lower eye pressure bring certain systemic side effects. In this context, if you notice any side effects that affect your daily life, such as respiratory distress, or irregular heartbeat, contact your eye doctor immediately. Your doctor will direct you to another alternative. Do not forget to go to the control examinations determined by your doctor! Your disease can only be treated with the regular control of your doctor.