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Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can cause vision loss and blindness by damaging a nerve in the back of your eye called the optic nerve. The symptoms can start so slowly that you may not notice them.

Full Answer

Can glaucoma lead to blindness?

Most of the time, glaucoma does not lead to blindness if it is treated. Without treatment, glaucoma will eventually cause blindness. Even with treatment, about 15 percent of the time glaucoma can lead to blindness in at least one eye over a period of 20 years. Vision loss from glaucoma generally progresses slowly.

Why does glaucoma affect only one eye?

Also, glaucoma typically damages the retinal ganglion cells in a pattern in which the peripheral (side) vision is affected first. These changes to vision typically go unnoticed because one eye can compensate for the other.

How does glaucoma affect quality of life?

It may be possible, for example, that a person who is diagnosed early in the disease, before any field of vision changes are measurable, will never experience a reduction in his or her vision-related quality of life due to glaucoma.

Can central vision remain at 20/20 with glaucoma?

In other words, for early and moderate stages, and sometimes even advanced stages of glaucoma, the central vision can remain at 20/20.

How does glaucoma cause blindness?

Glaucoma tends to run in families. You usually don't get it until later in life. The increased pressure in your eye, called intraocular pressure, can damage your optic nerve, which sends images to your brain. If the damage worsens, glaucoma can cause permanent vision loss or even total blindness within a few years.

Does glaucoma automatically cause blindness?

Glaucoma is a serious, lifelong eye disease that can lead to vision loss if not controlled. But for most people, glaucoma does not have to lead to blindness. That is because glaucoma is controllable with modern treatment, and there are many choices to help keep glaucoma from further damaging your eyes.

Can glaucoma cause one eye blindness?

Myth #2: Glaucoma only affects one eye Truth: Glaucoma usually occurs in both eyes, but pressure often increases in one eye first. This raised pressure may damage the optic nerve, resulting in gradual vision changes.

Why glaucoma is a silent blinding disease?

Glaucoma is sometimes called the “silent thief of sight” because it slowly damages the eyes and can cause irreparable harm before there is any vision loss.

What causes eye blindness?

The leading causes of blindness and low vision in the United States are primarily age-related eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, cataract, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. Other common eye disorders include amblyopia and strabismus.

How fast does glaucoma cause blindness?

Glaucoma is a slowly progressing problem. On an average, untreated Glaucoma takes around 10-15 years to advance from early damage to total blindness. With an IOP (Intraocular Pressure) of 21-25 mmHg it takes 15 yrs to progress, an IOP of 25-30 mmHg around seven years and pressure more than 30 mmHg takes three years.

Does glaucoma cause blindness in both eyes?

Glaucoma is a degenerative condition that causes a slow decline in your vision. If you don't receive treatment for glaucoma, your vision can get worse over time, eventually causing you to become fully blind. Approximately 15% of people who develop glaucoma become blind in one or both eyes.

Does everyone with glaucoma go blind?

About 60% of patients diagnosed with glaucoma eventually lost some vision. It's important to emphasize, however, that this does not mean that 60% of patients went blind. A century ago someone who went blind from glaucoma had likely lost all functional vision.

How can glaucoma blindness be prevented?

10 Things To Do Today To Prevent Vision Loss From GlaucomaCatch this silent thief of sight before you lose vision. ... Taking steroid medication? ... Eat well to see well. ... Exercise … ... Protect your eyes from injury. ... Avoid head-down positions. ... Sleep in the right position. ... Protect your eyes from sunlight.More items...•

What does a person with glaucoma see?

According to a study published in The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, the most common visual symptoms reported by patients with glaucoma are as follows: Needing more light. Blurry vision. Seeing glare.

Does glaucoma cause eye pain?

Summary. In summary, glaucoma can be painful in certain situations, but two things are important to keep in mind: Your eye pressure can be elevated and you can have glaucoma without pain; and. If you have a form of glaucoma that can cause pain, the pain can go away when treated.

Is glaucoma a silent killer?

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in the United States. The 2 main types of glaucoma are open-angle and narrow-angle. Glaucoma damages the optic nerve, typically resulting in loss of peripheral vision, which eventually progresses to involve the central visual field.

Can you stop the progression of glaucoma?

Regular check-ups to stop glaucoma progression Glaucoma cannot be cured, but you can stop it from progressing. It usually develops slowly and can take 15 years for untreated early-onset glaucoma to develop into blindness. However, if the pressure in the eye is high, the disease is likely to develop more rapidly.

Can u live a normal life with glaucoma?

People with glaucoma who manage it well can live a normal, independent life. A big problem with glaucoma is that in the early stages, people with glaucoma live their lives largely unaffected by the condition while it is all the while progressing silently.

What are the first signs that glaucoma is developing?

What is the First Sign of Glaucoma?Loss of peripheral or side vision: This is usually the first sign of glaucoma.Seeing halos around lights: If you see rainbow-colored circles around lights or are unusually sensitive to light, it could be a sign of glaucoma.Vision loss: Especially if it happens suddenly.More items...

Can glaucoma go away?

The damage caused by glaucoma can't be reversed. But treatment and regular checkups can help slow or prevent vision loss, especially if you catch the disease in its early stages. Glaucoma is treated by lowering your eye pressure (intraocular pressure).

How long does it take to get blind from glaucoma?

Another type, called angle-closure glaucoma (ACG), can cause a sudden attack that may result in total blindness within a matter of days if not treated as a medical emergency.

What affects whether I go blind or not?

When treated, there is still uncertainty on whether glaucoma will cause blindness for you or not.

What is the most common form of glaucoma?

The most common form of glaucoma among adults in the U.S. is open-angle glaucoma (OAG). OAG is a slow-progressing neurodegenerative disease that damages your optic nerve and destroys the retinal ganglion cells that connect your eye to your brain and control your vision. Your peripheral (side) vision is generally affected first.

What are the risk factors for glaucoma?

These risk factors and conditions include the following: 1 Black, Hispanic, or Asian racial groups 2 age 60 or older (lowers to age 40 or older for Black racial group) 3 family history of glaucoma 4 diabetes, high blood pressure, and/or other medical conditions 5 nearsightedness 6 history of eye trauma or steroid use

How to treat a vision problem after a diagnosis?

Once you’ve received a diagnosis, however, you must stay dedicated to the treatment process, which includes the following steps: Comply with every aspect of your prescribed treatment and supportive eye care. Keep your follow-up exam appointments. Quickly let your eye doctor know of any vision changes you experience.

Does glaucoma affect OAG?

Glaucoma typically affects the peripheral (side) vision first, specifically in OAG. These changes may go unnoticed for quite some time because the unaffected eye can compensate for the affected one. There are pros and cons to your body’s ability to adapt to this situation.

Can you go to the doctor for glaucoma?

The drawback, however, is that since you’re not experiencing vision loss in the early or moderate stages, you may not go to the eye doctor until significant irreparable damage has already been done. The earlier that glaucoma is diagnosed and treated, the greater your chances are of retaining a good portion, or even all, of your vision.

How long does it take for glaucoma to cause blindness?

Even with treatment, about 15 percent of the time glaucoma can lead to blindness in at least one eye over a period of 20 years.

What are the causes of glaucoma?

Medical/biological conditions: Some medical conditions, like diabetes and high blood pressure, increase the risk for glaucoma. Thin corneas and chronic eye inflammation also increase the risk. Trauma: An injury to the eye can increase eye pressure.

What happens if your eye drainage angle is blocked?

If the drainage angle in your eye gets blocked, the aqueous humor fluid level rises. This puts pressure on the optic nerve. Over time, this is what causes vision loss and eventual blindness. Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that is caused by damage to the optic nerve related to high intraocular eye pressure (IOP).

Why does my eye get so high?

Glaucoma is usually the result of pressure in your eye getting too high due to a buildup of fluid, the aqueous humor. Typically, this fluid is made and replaced on an evenly regulated basis. Sometimes, the drainage angle gets blocked, causing pressure in your eye to build.

What are the risk factors for glaucoma?

Risk Factors for Developing Glaucoma 1 Age: Glaucoma is most common in Americans over age 60. 2 Race: It is more common in African American, Asian, and Hispanic individuals over age 40. 3 Family history: Glaucoma has a genetic component. 4 Medical/biological conditions: Some medical conditions, like diabetes and high blood pressure, increase the risk for glaucoma. Thin corneas and chronic eye inflammation also increase the risk. 5 Trauma: An injury to the eye can increase eye pressure. 6 Medications: Prolonged use of corticosteroids increases the likelihood of glaucoma.

How long does it take for glaucoma to progress?

Fortunately, glaucoma typically progresses very slowly, over years. The progression of vision loss can be stunted, slowed, or even stopped with treatment.

Why is it important to have regular eye exams?

This is why it is important to undergo regular eye exams to test your IOP and make sure things are within the normal range. Once you have been diagnosed with glaucoma, vision loss progresses slowly, particularly if you begin treatment in the early stages of the condition.

Why do people go blind with glaucoma?

The exact cause of blindness in people who have glaucoma is unclear, but eye pressure appears to play a significant role in damaging the optic nerve. Another theory is that glaucoma impairs blood flow in a manner that leads to nerve damage. What is certain is that untreated glaucoma damages the retinal ganglion cells that connect to the optic nerve.

How to prevent glaucoma blindness?

Regular eye exams are your best tool for preventing glaucoma-related blindness. Common symptoms of glaucoma include loss of peripheral vision and eye pain.

What is the most common form of glaucoma?

Chronic open-angle glau coma is the most common form of this eye disease. The symptoms of chronic glaucoma set in slowly, and that’s why this type of glaucoma can be so damaging. Individuals who suffer from this condition may not notice the symptoms for years.

How many people have glaucoma?

Around 2.3 million Americans have some type of glaucoma, according to the Glaucoma Research Foundation. Of those cases, around 10 percent result in sight impairment and five percent result in blindness.

Can glaucoma go unnoticed?

Since some types of glaucoma can go unnoticed, we encourage our patients to schedule regular eye exams at Monterey County Eye Associates so one of our eye doctors can look for early symptoms and signs of glaucoma.

Is glaucoma a progressive eye disease?

Glaucoma is a progressive eye disease that results from impaired drainage of the fluids that help the eyes maintain their shape. Glaucoma is not preventable, but it can be treated and managed through non-invasive means at Monterey County Eye Associates, serving Salinas, CA, and Monterey, CA .

Is glaucoma preventable?

Glaucoma is not preventable, but you can prevent its damaging effects. Regular exams at Monterey County Eye Associates can diagnose the early stages of glaucoma before the disease causes permanent damage to your vision. To schedule your next exam, please contact our office online or call (831) 375-2020.

How many people have glaucoma?

3 million Americans have glaucoma— and only half know they have it. We are the top private nonprofit funder of glaucoma research. BrightFocus makes innovative science possible around the world— 1,625 research projects involving more than 5,363 scientists in 25 countries. You can make a difference.

What is the second step in glaucoma?

history of eye trauma or steroid use. The second step is to make sure you follow up with your ophthalmologist and continue your regular visits. If you are diagnosed with glaucoma, you will be forming a lifelong relationship with your ophthalmologist.

How many ganglion cells are there in the eye?

On average, we have 1 million retinal ganglion cells in each eye. Glaucoma damages the retinal ganglion cells and eventually causes them to die.

Why is field of vision important?

The field of vision test provides critical information to your ophthalmologist about the stage of your glaucoma, and how quickly or slowly it is progressing. Treatment aims to slow progression and to prevent glaucoma from affecting your quality of life. Therefore, it is important for your ophthalmologist to continually monitor ...

Why does one eye go unnoticed?

These changes to vision typically go unnoticed because one eye can compensate for the other. This is fortunate because it means that it is only at advanced stages of the disease that the central part of the vision is impaired. In other words, for early and moderate stages, and sometimes even advanced stages of glaucoma, ...

Why is it important to have an eye exam early?

So, how can you reduce your risk of going blind? The reason an early eye exam is important is because the earlier stage at which you are diagnosed, the better your chances of not going blind from glaucoma.

Does glaucoma cause vision loss?

This form of glaucoma sometimes results in field of vision loss close to the central vision earlier in the course of the disease. This pattern of field of vision loss is certainly more concerning because vision-related quality of life due to glaucoma will be affected sooner.

How to treat glaucoma?

Prescription eye drops are the most common treatment. They lower the pressure in your eye and prevent damage to your optic nerve. Learn more about glaucoma medicines. Laser treatment. To lower pressure in your eye, doctors can use lasers to help the fluid drain out of your eye.

What is the best treatment for glaucoma?

Doctors use a few different types of treatment for glaucoma, including medicines (usually eye drops), laser treatment, and surgery. If you have glaucoma, it’s important to start treatment right away. While it won’t undo any damage to your vision, treatment can stop it from getting worse. Medicines.

What is the name of the nerve that causes blindness and vision loss?

What is glaucoma? Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can cause vision loss and blindness by damaging a nerve in the back of your eye called the optic nerve . The symptoms can start so slowly that you may not notice them.

What to do if your eye is drained from glaucoma?

Surgery. If medicines and laser treatment don’t work, your doctor might suggest surgery. There are several different types of surgery that can help the fluid drain out of your eye. Learn more about glaucoma surgery. Talk over your options with your doctor. While glaucoma is a serious disease, treatment works well.

Can high eye pressure cause glaucoma?

Some people with high eye pressure don’t get glaucoma — and there’s a type of glaucoma that happens in people with normal eye pressure. The amount of eye pressure that’s normal varies by person — what’s normal for one person could be high for another.

Is glaucoma a serious disease?

While glaucoma is a serious disease, treatment works well. Remember these tips: If you’re having trouble with everyday activities because of your vision loss, ask your doctor about low vision services or devices that could help. Encourage family members to get checked for glaucoma, since it can run in families.

Can glaucoma cause blindness?

But as the disease gets worse, you may start to notice that you can’t see things off to the side anymore. Without treatment, glaucoma can eventually cause blindness.