Eye diseases and refraction anomalies
- Children ophthalmology
- Glaucoma
- Cataract
- Diseases of cornea
- Retinal diseases
- Retinal detachment
- Diseases of the optic nerve
- Intraocular neoplasms
Significant prevalence of glaucoma, early diagnostics difficulties ( see the section “NEWS”) and serious prognosis are reasons of continuous careful attention towards this disease by scientists and practical physicians. This eye disease is the second reason of incurable blindness.
What is glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a chronic eye disease when the intraocular pressure (IOP) increases and the optic nerve is damaged. Vision decreases until complete blindness. Blindness created by glaucoma is irreversible as the optic nerve is destroyed.
It is not possible to return vision to the patient in this case!
Unfortunately, glaucoma is a quite widespread disease. People suffer from glaucoma at the age above 40 years. However this disease can be found in young people (juvenile glaucoma) and even newborns (congenital glaucoma).
Normal figures of intraocular pressure are individual, but in average are between 16-25 mm Hg by measurement with Maclacov (Маклакова) tonometer. Stability of intraocular pressure is determined by the balance of the liquid amount produced in the eye and the liquid flown back from the eye.
Intraocular pressure can increase in the result of two main reasons:
1.Excessive amount of the intraocular liquid is formed;
2.Flow of the intraocular liquid through the eye drainage system is disturbed due to changes in it.
Delay of the liquid inside the eye results in increased IOP, but high IOP results in the damage of the optic nerve.
Heredity plays an important role in glaucoma development. If your relatives suffered from glaucoma, You have to be careful and have Your eyes examined by an ophthalmologist. A qualitative vision diagnostics and examination by an ophthalmologist not less frequent than yearly enables to find out the disease in due time and to treat it effectively.
Symptoms and forms of glaucoma
Three main symptoms are typical for glaucoma:
1.changes in the optic nerve;
2.increased intraocular pressure;
3.decreased vision field.
To find out glaucoma early it is important to know its symptoms and subjective feelings of the patient. Specialists distinguish several forms of glaucoma.
Open angle glaucoma is the most widespread form of this disease. This is an especially fraudulent type of the disease when no clear symptoms are found. The person may feel no symptoms of excessive IOP that is damaging the optic nerve leading to loss of vision.
Following symptoms can indicate an increased intraocular pressure:
- lazy eyes, a feeling of a net in front of the eyes;
- a rainbow around the sources of light ( e.g., around a lamp);
- feeling of discomfort in the eye, weight and pressure sense;
- insignificant cutting sense in the eye;
- feeling of moisture in the eye;
- decreased vision in dusk;
- insignificant pain around the eye.
Closed angle glaucoma often causes attacks. An acute attack of this glaucoma form is characterised by following features: significant increase of IOP (until 60-80 mmHg), severe pain in the eye, headache. Sometimes nausea, vomiting, general weakness can occur during the attack. Vision is the sick eye decreases significantly.
An acute attack of closed angle glaucoma is often mistaken with migraine, toothache, acute gastrointestinal disease, meningitis, flu, as the patient complains about headache, nausea, general weakness without mentioning the eye. In such case the patient can be left without appropriate help, which is so necessary during the first hours of the attack.
Glaucoma can be also hereditary. Increased IOP and in some cases increased size of the eyeball is found in newborn children in this condition. The reason of this glaucoma form is hereditary defect of drainage system of the eyeball. If they are insignificant the disease may be not found at once the beginning but only later at the age adolescent.
Secondary glaucoma occurs as a consequence of other eye disease (inflammatory, vascular, dystrophic, related to lens diseases, trauma). Reasons of increased IOP in secondary glaucoma are disturbances of intraocular liquid flow. Glaucoma with normal or low intraocular pressure is a consequence of blood supply disturbances to the eye, primarily to the drainage system and optic nerve. In this form of glaucoma vision acuity diminishing, vision field narrowing and optic nerve atrophy occurs with a normal IOP.
Glaucoma is not a contagious disease. It occurs usually in both eyes, but not simultaneously. It may occur in another eye after several months or years.
Only a specialist is able to determine if You have glaucoma and which form of it. Ophthalmologists of the EYE MISCROSURGERY CENTRE (ACU MIKROKIRURGIJAS CENTRS) will perform all the necessary investigations by a modern equipment of high accuracy! See the section “NEWS”!!!
Only a specialist is able to determine if You have glaucoma and which form of it. Ophthalmologists of the EYE MISCROSURGERY CENTRE (ACU MIKROKIRURGIJAS CENTRS) will perform all the necessary investigations by a modern equipment of high accuracy! See the section “NEWS”!!!
Glaucoma treatment
There are three existing today treatment directions of glaucoma treatment: pharmacological (conservative), laser and microsurgical.
Treatment of glaucoma usually starts with administration of pharmacological agents, decreasing intraocular pressure. However, this treatment approach has serious disadvantages, as these pharmacological agents (hypotensives) do not decrease IOP (ophthalmotonus) often. In addition efficacy of these agents may decrease by time in a long-term use. Eye drops are necessary to use with strict time intervals that are difficult to comply with. A significant disadvantage is the fact that they have side effects, e.g., progressing of already existing cataract, pupillar narrowing, stable decrease of intraocular liquid production, influencing eye metabolism negatively. Many agents are contraindicated for patients with cardio-vascular and pulmonary system diseases.
But the most important is – it is a fight not with the disease as a whole but with its symptoms only.
Therefore the specialists of the EYE MICROSURGERY CENTRE (ACU MIKROKIRURGIJAS CENTRS) use successfully qualitatively new treatment methods of glaucoma – effective, safe and little traumatic. They are laser and surgical operations.
In the first case – a laser beam, penetrating without difficulties into the eye and influencing its drainage system, improves the flow of intraocular liquid. Laser treatment of glaucoma is painless, lasting short time period and is performed in conditions of an outpatient hospital. Its advantage is the fact, that the eyeball is not impacted by a surgical interference.
Unfortunately, a laser beam cannot help all glaucoma patients. For the most part of patients suffering of this disease the most effective method is microsurgery operation.
The principally new operation is called nonpenetrating deep sclerectomy – NDSE. It can be successfully used in any form of open angle glaucoma. The most important advantage of this operation is ability to perform it without opening the eyeball that excludes infection and decreases significantly complication risk during the operation. The length of operation is 20 minutes in average.
Perfection of NDSE enables to shorten significantly the post-operative treatment period and to perform it in conditions of an outpatient hospital!
Glaucoma often combines with cataract (lens opacity). A method of surgical treatment for such cases is developed. It is an antiglaucoma (NDSE) operation with simultaneous cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation (IOL). The EYE MICROSURGERY CENTRE the most modern methods are used for cataract extirpation – phacoemulsification. IOL implantation is performed even in patients with severe glaucoma stages.
Specialists of the EYE MICROSURGERY CENTRE (ACU MIKROKIRURGIJAS CENTRS) have today a wide range of means effective in different stages of glaucoma process, able to help the given group of patient in a full range!
A complex and individual approach is performed for choice the necessary glaucoma treatment method in each individual case, enabling maintenance of vision in many thousands of patients suffering from this disease!
It is clearly proven today that the earlier the surgical interference is performed, the more stable and qualitative is vision maintenance of glaucoma patients.
P.: What is cataract?
D.: A lens is located inside the eye. It is a small optical lens fixing the look and allows us to see well. The lens is clouding with age, i.e., cataract develops. With different diseases as well as with metabolic changes cataract can develop also in young people. The main symptom of this disease – vision impairment. Things seem to be in a cloud or through a frosted glass, that create certain difficulties for people for their daily life.
D.: A lens is located inside the eye. It is a small optical lens fixing the look and allows us to see well. The lens is clouding with age, i.e., cataract develops. With different diseases as well as with metabolic changes cataract can develop also in young people. The main symptom of this disease – vision impairment. Things seem to be in a cloud or through a frosted glass, that create certain difficulties for people for their daily life.
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