Advanced Glaucoma Surgery Hospital in Punjab (India) –
Best Eye Hospital for Glaucoma in India – A glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that have one thing in common: progressive (increasing) damage to the vision nerve (optic nerve) that connects the eyeball to the brain.
This damage is recognized by a loss of optic nerve tissue in a pattern called “cupping,” and by blind spots or blurry spots in the peripheral (side) vision. Advanced glaucoma can lead to permanently blurred or dimmed vision, or even to blindness. Early and moderate stage glaucoma generally has no symptoms. This is why it is important to be examined by an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) regularly to determine if you are likely to develop the disease.
In many cases, we do not know exactly what causes glaucoma. However, increased eye pressure is the most common risk factor for developing the disease. The pressure comes when the clear fluid in the eye, called the aqueous humor, does not drain properly.
This fluid normally helps to nourish the eye and flows in and out of the eye through a mesh-like channel. In people with high eye pressure, the fluid does not drain properly and pressure builds up in the eye.
However, it is possible to develop glaucoma even if your eye pressure is normal. Currently, treatment for glaucoma is aimed at lowering your eye pressure, even if it is “normal.”
Glaucoma Treatment / Glaucoma Surgery cannot restore vision that is lost. But treatment can reduce the likelihood of additional vision loss. That is why screening and early detection of glaucoma are so important.
Symptoms of glaucoma?
Most patients with glaucoma do not notice any symptoms at first until they have lost some of their peripheral (side) vision. Often, this is not recognized by the patient until the disease has progressed.
When other symptoms are present, they may include:
Pain in the eye (IMPORTANT: If you have sudden, severe eye pain, headache, and blurred vision, your internal eye pressure may be very high. You should call your ophthalmologist or go to an emergency room right away.)
Redness in the eye
The vision in one or both eyes appearing hazy
Seeing halos around lights
Narrowing of vision (tunnel vision)
How is glaucoma treated?
The goal of glaucoma treatment is to prevent further vision loss by controlling pressure in the eye – like controlling blood pressure to prevent a stroke. There are several ways in which glaucoma can be treated successfully:
Medications, in the form of eye drops or pills, lower pressure by reducing the amount of fluid produced in the eye, and by increasing drainage. One or more medicines may be used at the same time.
Laser therapy, performed on an outpatient basis, is used to reduce pressure in the eye. A procedure called laser trabeculoplasty improves fluid drainage in patients with open-angle glaucoma. People with closed-angle glaucoma usually must be treated with a procedure called laser iridotomy, which creates a tiny opening in the iris (colored part of the eye), allowing the drainage angle to open.
Glaucoma Surgery may be needed to create a second drainage channel in the eye to support the natural one. Glaucoma surgery is usually performed on an outpatient basis using local anesthesia and may allow the patient to reduce or eliminate glaucoma medications.
For more advanced cases, an artificial glaucoma drainage implant may help to decrease pressure. The implant helps to drain excess fluid, which is then absorbed into the body.