Glaucoma is an eye disease that can happen to anyone at any age. If you live in San Angelo, Concho Valley, or the surrounding area and you would like to be tested for glaucoma and other serious eye conditions, call Lamm David Eye Care today.
What Is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is an eye disease that occurs when there is a build-up of pressure inside the eye. This pressure affects the optic nerve, damaging it and causing it to function abnormally. The nerve begins to deteriorate gradually. This disease can cause gradual vision loss and it can eventually lead to blindness.
What Causes Glaucoma?
The build-up of fluid inside the eye causes this disease. This can be caused by the eye overproducing this fluid or by a failure of the fluid to drain properly. The fluid inside the eye usually drains through the trabecular meshwork, a tissue located at the place where the cornea and iris meet. If the fluid doesn't drain properly, it will begin to build up and cause an increase in pressure. This condition often runs in families. Some genes have been discovered to affect eye pressure and cause damage to the optic nerve in some glaucoma patients.
How Does Glaucoma Begin?
Glaucoma often begins gradually. For most people, there are no symptoms at the earliest stages. For others, the symptoms may happen so gradually that they don't notice them until the glaucoma is more advanced. Once glaucoma starts to cause noticeable vision loss, that vision is unrecoverable. That's why receiving regular eye exams that can catch the condition in its early stages is so important. There are treatments from our eye doctors that can slow and prevent further loss of vision.
What Are the Symptoms of Glaucoma?
As glaucoma progresses, symptoms can include blind spots that appear in your vision, blurry vision, seeing halo shapes around lights, and having tunnel vision. In some types of glaucoma, patients may experience severe headaches, pain in your eyes, eye redness, or nausea and vomiting.
Preserve Your Vision
If you live in San Angelo, Concho Valley, or the surrounding area, and would like to be tested for this and other serious eye diseases, call Lamm David Eye Care today at (325) 653-0118 to schedule an appointment with one of our eye doctors.