March 6 is World Glaucoma Day. The second week of March is World Glaucoma Week.
Glaucoma is a common blinding eye disease. Vision loss due to glaucoma is irreversible. Some types of glaucoma do not affect vision in the early stage due to the insidious onset of glaucoma, and patients have no obvious symptoms such as eye pain and eye swelling. By the time patients come to the hospital with symptoms, they often have already developed to an advanced stage, so glaucoma is also known as the "thief of vision".
What is glaucoma
The main features of glaucoma are characteristic optic nerve damage and progressive visual field defects (visual field defects are narrower areas of vision that the eye can see). It is usually associated with pathologic intraocular pressure increases. Intraocular pressure is pathologically elevated, which compresses the optic nerve and causes damage to retinal ganglion cells in the eyeball, resulting in optic nerve atrophy and visual field defects. If the patient does not receive it in time**, they may eventually become permanently blind and irreversible.
7 categories of high-risk groups
Anyone is at risk of developing glaucoma, but the following groups of people are at higher risk.
Those with a family history of glaucomaThe prevalence of first-degree relatives (parents, children, and siblings) over the age of 40 years in patients with primary glaucoma is significantly higher than in the general population. According to statistics, the prevalence of first-degree relatives with primary open-angle glaucoma is 10 times higher than that of normal people. The prevalence of first-degree relatives of primary angle-closure glaucoma is 6 to 9 times higher than the prevalence of normal people.
People from certain regionsThe prevalence of angle-closure glaucoma is higher in Asians, and Africans are more likely to develop primary open-angle glaucoma.
Older adultsOlder people are at greater risk of developing glaucoma and increase with age. After the age of 50, the lens gradually absorbs water and expands, the nucleus hardens, and the suspensory ligament relaxes, resulting in a shallow anterior chamber, narrow angle, and obstruction of aqueous humor circulation, which in turn causes intraocular pressure to rise.
Refractive errorsPeople with farsightedness, short eye axis, and small eyeballs are susceptible to angle-closure glaucoma. People with high myopia are susceptible to open-angle glaucoma.
People with high intraocular pressurePeople with high IOP are at greater risk of developing glaucoma, but not all people with high IOP will progress to glaucoma and therefore need regular follow-ups.
Those with systemic diseases related to glaucomaPatients with diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia are prone to retinopathy if the disease is not well controlled, and secondary neovascularization obstructs the angle, resulting in neovascular glaucoma.
People who use certain medicationsPeople who use topical or systemic corticosteroids for a long time can develop hormone-induced glaucoma, which is related to the duration of the medication, the dose of the drug, and the individual's susceptibility.
Reminders
People with these high-risk factors should have regular eye exams in the hope of early detection of glaucoma.
5 common types
Symptoms in people with glaucoma vary depending on the type and severity of the disease. Here are a few common symptoms.
Acute angle-closure glaucomaAcute angle-closure glaucoma is divided into 6 stages. Symptoms and signs vary from time to time for patients.
1.Preclinical: the patient has no obvious sensation, but there are anatomic risk factors such as shallow anterior chamber and narrow angle.
2.Premonitory stage: the patient has transient or repeated small seizures, mostly occurring in the evening, manifested as foggy vision and rainbow vision, which may be accompanied by forehead pain on the affected side and soreness at the base of the nose on the same side, which can be relieved after rest.
3.Acute attack: sudden onset of severe headache, eye pain, photophobia, tearing, severe loss of vision, may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting and other systemic symptoms, intraocular pressure is generally more than 50 mm Hg.
4.Intermittent phase: Symptoms resolve spontaneously after a small attack, or after a large attack**, intraocular pressure is controlled.
5.Chronic phase: After repeated small seizures or major seizures that are not effective**, intraocular pressure continues to rise, visual acuity progressively decreases, and the visual range gradually decreases.
6.Absolute phase: blindness, optic nerve atrophy.
Chronic angle-closure glaucomaThe patient had no obvious symptoms such as eye pain and vision loss, and the intraocular pressure gradually increased. At the time of presentation, the optic nerve is often atrophied and the visual field is advanced.
Primary open-angle glaucomaPatients are almost asymptomatic in the early stage, and in the middle and late stages, they may have reduced vision, blurred vision, and occasional eye swelling.
Congenital glaucomaThe child has photophobia, tearing, blepharospasm, and the black eyeballs are too large and too dark.
Secondary glaucomaPatients with systemic diseases secondary to systemic diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, or ocular trauma, ocular inflammation, or long-term use of local or systemic corticosteroids. On the basis of the corresponding medical history, patients will have eye symptoms such as eye redness, eye pain, eye swelling, and tearing.
Reminders
People with glaucoma usually don't have obvious early symptoms, but if they have symptoms such as blurred vision, visual field defects, eye pain, or headaches, they should see a doctor right away.
4 ways to prevent it
Doing the following can effectively reduce the risk of developing glaucoma.
Maintain healthy eye habitsAvoid overexerting your eyes and avoid prolonged use of your eyes in dim light.
Develop good habitsPay attention to the combination of work and rest, maintain emotional stability, and maintain a good night's sleep.
Manage systemic diseaseControlling diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes can reduce the negative impact of these diseases on eye health.
Avoid eye injuriesWear protective eyewear when engaging in strenuous activities that can cause eye injuries.
Reminders
Prevention of glaucoma is more important than **. Regular eye exams are key to preventing glaucoma and protecting your vision.
*: Healthy China.