Glaucoma Essay

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Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a type of disease that is a result of the damage of the optic nerve in the eye. This can result in the loss of vision which can lead to blindness. Glaucoma can be prevented if detected early and treated within reasonable time to avoid significant loss in vision and eye damage. There are different types of this disorder including open angle glaucoma which includes low-tension and high-tension. The pressure in the eye builds up due to a slow release of fluids in and out of the anterior chamber of the eye. It builds up near the optic nerve and creates pressure and tension. When pressure is built up near the optic nerve, the optic nerve will will be damaged and result in loss of vision. Different people have various levels of pressure that could potentially lead to glaucoma. Another type of glaucoma which is very rare is angle-closure glaucoma, which is when the drainage canals become closed and the intraocular pressure increases. This type of glaucoma should receive medical help immediately.
Usually there are no early signs and symptoms of glaucoma that are noticeable and can develop slowly for many years. Most people feel fine and normal if they have open-angle glaucoma and do not see any significant changes in their vision and sharpness for many years. Some of the symptoms are blurry vision, rainbow-colored circles around bright lights, head pains, nausea or vomiting, and sudden sight loss. Because of the small amount of detection with open-angle glaucoma, it is very important to see an eye doctor regularly. There is a clear difference between angle-closure and open-angle glaucoma. Angle-closure glaucoma comes much faster and is much more severe.
There are several environmental and genetic causes and risk ...

... middle of paper ...

...a will eventually still become blind. An unfortunate characteristic of the disorder is that there are symptoms that may persist for years without the person knowing which can lead to blood loss. In the United States alone, more than 100,000 people have permanent vision loss due to glaucoma and 60 million worldwide.. At this time, there is no cure for glaucoma and vision loss cannot be repaired. There should be more efforts to inform the public of glaucoma and its symptoms so people are more aware and can take the necessary precautions to seek out medical attention.

Work Cited
"Facts About Glaucoma." Glaucoma, Facts About [NEI Health Information]. Web. 18 May 2014.
Heiting, Gary, OD. "All About Glaucoma: Types, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment." All About Vision. Gary Heiting. Web. 19 May 2014
"TREATING GLAUCOMA." How Glaucoma Is Treated. Web. 19 May 2014.

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