Glaucoma is an eye disease that a person can have but not know until their vision is severely affected. If untreated, the condition progresses steadily, causing vision loss and irreversible blindness. Glaucoma has no cure but catching it early can preserve your vision. So, acting early before the disease causes lasting damage is paramount.

What Causes Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a cluster of eye diseases that affect the optic nerve by causing increased pressure inside the eye. For some glaucoma types, the eye fluid fails to drain properly. It then builds up, increasing the pressure in the eye until it damages your optic nerve. This nature of the disease informs doctors to check for heightened intraocular pressure, optic nerve changes, and other abnormalities through various diagnostic exams.

Some symptoms to watch out for are pain in your head or eyes, eye redness, nausea, hazy vision or some vision loss, peripheral vision loss, or seeing halos around the lights. Unfortunately for many, the disease usually will have progressed severely by the time the symptoms appear.

As mentioned, there is no known cure for glaucoma nor a way to reverse the vision loss the disease causes. There’s also no certainty over what causes glaucoma, which could have helped with prevention. But with regular eye exams, glaucoma can be caught early, allowing for treatments to slow the disease’s progression.

What are the Chances You Could Get Glaucoma?

Any person can have glaucoma, but some groups are more at risk than others. The glaucoma risk factors are:
 

• Age – any person aged 60 and above.

• Race – African Americans aged 40 and above are more susceptible than others.

• Family history – Having a sibling or parent with glaucoma increases your chances of getting glaucoma.

• High blood pressure - This may block the arteries and veins in your retina, affecting your vision.

• Diabetes – Uncontrolled glucose in your blood may cause eye problems.

• Using steroids for a long time – Heightens pressure in the eyes.

• Nearsightedness – Highly nearsighted patients are at risk of developing angle-closure glaucoma.

How Can You Protect Yourself from Glaucoma?

There’s no way to avoid glaucoma entirely, but you can do some things to reduce the risk of getting it. Do the following:
 

• Take note of any risk factors that predispose you to glaucoma and watch out for them.

• Always put on protective eyewear to keep your eyes from injury, as it can also cause glaucoma.

• Have constant eye pressure checks if you are on steroid medications for an extended period.

• Visit an eye doctor at least once a year for eye exams to help with early detection and treatment to slow the disease progression.

• Maintain a healthy weight, be physically active, control your blood pressure, and avoid smoking. Healthy behaviors prevent diabetes and other chronic conditions.

Get An Eye Exam

Glaucoma tends to spring from nowhere, which is why having your eyes examined each year is very important. 

For more on glaucoma and the importance of catching it early, visit the Optometry Medical Group at our Seattle, Washington offices. Call 206-888-6128 or 206-888-6028 to schedule an appointment today.