Glaucoma and Your Diabetes

Glaucoma and diabetes share a commonality as much as retinopathy and diabetes.

Glaucoma itself is actually classified as a group of several eye diseases that are very damaging to your optic nerve. Optic nerves are nerve fibers in a bundle that are the transporters from your eye to the brain. When the optic nerve becomes damaged, then this is what leads to visual impairment, and even blindness.



You need to understand first that this eye disease is in several forms. The two main forms are: open angle, the more common that affects more individuals than closed angle. The open angle glaucoma usually does not presnt any symptoms. What is lost in this case is your peripheral vision. As it silently goes on without any treatment, the visual field is gradually lost.

Now with closed angle glaucoma, this is usually in the form of acute, or chronic. If you are having the acute phase of this eye disease, the flow that normally occurs from the iris and the lens is blocked off. You can have a symptomatology of:

Severe pain

nausea and vomiting

blurry vision

and a halo of a rainbow type that will come up around lights

If you are having this acute type, you need medical attention right away.

In closed angle types of this eye disease, this is a slow progression, and is sneaky since it slowly takes away vision without any warnings.

There are many other forms of this eye disease such as the following: juvenile, secondary forms, normal tension, and then there is congenital. If you have the secondary type, it can either be closed or open angle, and usually is from another medical problem you have had in the body or eyes themselves.

Detecting this eye problem.



Eye doctors will give you tests in several forms and ways to find out if you have this eye condition. There is:

A visual acuity test

Visual field test for peripheral vision

Dilated eye exams to look back into the eye

Pachymetry, tonometry, opthalmoscopy along with nerve imaging

Treatment by doctors

Treatment can be given in eye drops, pills, or both. Medications such as Beta-blockers will help to lower the eye pressure. It decreases the fluid is flowing into the eye. Medications such as miotics will help the eye with the drainage of fluid, increasing the rate so it relieves eye pressure.

Eye drops in the form of carbonic anhydrase inhibitors will help causes of lowering fluid production within the eye.

Other treatments:

Filtration surgery is used as a treatment that is a last resort when other measures fail. Trabeculectomy can be done under a local anesthetic. This procedure creates an opening so that the fluid is able to flow well and enter the bloodstream. One eye at a time is done, and an overnight stay in the hospital is sometimes needed.

Laser surgery can be useful. This surgery using a laser echnique, opens the eye through trabecular meshwork, which opens visual fields.

For more information, see the doctor video below.