The Important Thing You Should Know About Glaucoma

Are you blessed with good vision? If so, consider yourself lucky. Some people have dealt with vision issues for most of their lives, if not their entire lives. But many people don’t develop any eye issues until they start to age. According to the National Eye Institute, you are at a higher risk of age-related eye diseases and conditions as you get older. It’s important to understand the signs and symptoms of glaucoma, especially in older adults, because if it is left untreated, you run the risk of losing vision. Here are some of the most things to know if you or someone you love is suffering from glaucoma, according to home health care experts.

What are the signs of glaucoma?

We want to lead with the most important fact of all – how do you identify whether you or a loved one has glaucoma? If you don’t identify glaucoma early, the only treatments available may be invasive, and some of the damage may be permanent.

Just like everything to do with the human condition, glaucoma can get complicated. But our home health care team recommends just learning about 2 common types of glaucoma: open-angle glaucoma and angle-closure glaucoma.

• For open-angle glaucoma, some of the signs you might notice first are a gradual loss of peripheral vision in both eyes and tunnel vision. One of the problems with detecting this kind of glaucoma is that we usually forget about our peripheral vision. If you aren’t thinking about your or your loved one’s peripheral vision, you might not notice the onset of open-angle glaucoma until it’s too late.
• You or someone you love might be suffering from angle-closure glaucoma if they have significantly blurred vision. The loss of vision can also lead to eye pain and nausea. If you know an older whose eyesight has dramatically changed, be careful not to just blame it on old age.

Home health care experts recommend keeping an open eye (no pun intended) towards the effects of glaucoma. Proactively looking for the signs of glaucoma will help you identify and treat the condition early.

How is glaucoma detected?

If a doctor is concerned that you are suffering from glaucoma, there are a variety of tests they can try to see what’s going on. A visual field test helps a doctor see if your peripheral vision is deteriorating, which can be a sign of glaucoma. Dilated eye exams allow doctors to examine your retina and optic nerve look for any signs of damage. Another test allows a doctor to check the thickness of your cornea and test for any abnormalities.

How is glaucoma treated?

According to home health care experts, there are a variety of ways to treat glaucoma. Medicine in the form of eyedrops is one of the most common ways to treat glaucoma, along with laser procedures and more advanced surgery. Depending on what type of glaucoma you or your loved one has, and how severe it is, your doctor may choose one of these methods for treatment or go in another direction.

Detecting glaucoma as early as possible is essential to reduce the risk of permanent blindness. Study up on the common symptoms of glaucoma and be sure to talk to your doctor if you or someone you love is worried that they may be suffering from it.