Glaucoma is an eye disease in which the normal fluid pressure inside the eyes slowly rises. This alone is not what glaucoma is; Glaucoma is a combination of 3 risk factors: Elevated Pressure Optic Nerve Injury Visual LossGlaucoma has also been called the "sneak thief of sight", because is usually strikes without warning, therefore a victim of the disease is unaware of it until serious damage is already done. There are no symptoms and there is no pain, and vision stays relatively normal. As the disease progresses, a person with the disease MAY notice his or her vision getting slightly worse…the field of vision decreases, and things to the side may be missed. Soon after this is when blindness occurs. There is one situation in which the on set of glaucoma is noticeable, when the intraocular pressure increases suddenly…causing an angle-closure (acute glaucoma) attack. This is very painful and can happen in only a matter of hours. Following this attack, blindness or severe damage to sight may occur. Here are some of the indications: - Intense pain, that may cause nausea and vomiting- Red eye(s)- Swollen or cloudy cornea- Halos around lights (rainbow colored rings)- Recurrent blurry vision- Morning headaches- Pain around eyes after watching TVIf a combination of these things occurs, see a doctor immediately to prevent severe damage to sight. Now that we know WHAT glaucoma is and what causes it, we need to know who is at risk for getting this life altering disease and how to prevent it. People at the highest risk for this disease are people that: - Are Either males or females over age 60- Are of African descent- Have Diabetes- Have Myopia- Were exposed to steroids/cortisone for a long time- Suffered previous eye injury- Have a strong family history of glaucoma- Suffer from high blood ...
