Glaucoma

What Is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is damage to the optic nerve caused by increased pressure inside the eye, resulting in permanent vision loss.

What Is a Normal Eye Pressure Value?

In healthy people, eye pressure should be below 21 mmHg. However, we cannot say that below 21 mmHg is always healthy, or that above 21 mmHg always means glaucoma. In normal-tension glaucoma, eye pressure is below 21 mmHg, but a glaucoma diagnosis is made because damage to the optic nerve has developed. In ocular hypertension, eye pressure is above 21 mmHg, but no damage develops in the optic nerve, so a glaucoma diagnosis is not made even though the pressure is high.

How Is Glaucoma Diagnosed?

Measuring eye pressure alone is not sufficient to diagnose glaucoma. As mentioned above, a person with low eye pressure can have glaucoma, while a person with high eye pressure can be healthy. In addition, corneal thickness can cause errors in pressure measurements. For this reason, a detailed exam, corneal thickness measurement, optic nerve thickness analysis, and a visual field test are essential for diagnosing glaucoma.

Why Does Glaucoma Occur?

Glaucoma occurs due to narrowing of the channels that drain fluid from inside the eye. Fluid that cannot drain adequately accumulates inside the eye and increases eye pressure.

What Are the Risk Factors for Glaucoma?

• Advanced Age: Glaucoma is generally seen after age 50. It is quite common in Turkey as well. For this reason, everyone over 50 should have their eye pressure checked once a year.
• Family History of Glaucoma: Glaucoma has a genetic predisposition. A person with relatives who have glaucoma has a higher risk of developing it. For this reason, people with a family history of glaucoma should have their eye pressure checked once a year after age 40, and every 6 months after age 50.
• Myopia: People with myopia have a higher likelihood of developing glaucoma.
• Cortisone Use: Using cortisone, whether orally or as eye drops, increases the risk of glaucoma.

What Are the Symptoms of Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is an insidious disease, meaning it causes no symptoms at first. It silently destroys nerve cells and narrows the visual field. Because central vision is preserved until the very last stage, the patient does not notice the narrowing of their visual field, meaning the loss of their peripheral vision. For this reason, routine exams are very important for diagnosing glaucoma. People over fifty should have their eye pressure checked once a year, even if they have no complaints at all.

Does Glaucoma Cause Pain?

Contrary to popular belief, glaucoma causing pain is extremely rare. For pain to occur, eye pressure would need to suddenly rise to very high levels, which is itself very rare.

Does Vision Loss from Glaucoma Recover?

Vision loss caused by glaucoma is permanent and cannot be reversed. The goal of glaucoma treatment is to prevent further vision loss from progressing. This once again highlights the importance of early diagnosis in glaucoma.

How Is Glaucoma Treated?

In the first stage of glaucoma treatment, medication is prescribed. These medications must be used for life. Unfortunately, glaucoma patients often have poor compliance with their medication due to age-related forgetfulness and difficulty instilling drops. In fact, glaucoma patients need to instill their drops exactly on time, leaving 5 minutes between different medications. In patients whose eye pressure does not drop to the desired level with medication, laser treatment or surgery may be needed. After laser treatment or surgery, some patients no longer need medication, while others must continue with medication.