Glaucoma: an eye condition that is categorized as the second leading cause of blindness globally as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This eye condition damages the optic nerve; responsible for sending images to your brain.
It occurs when the eye deals with the build-up pressure (intraocular pressure) that causes severe damage to the optic nerve which in most cases is irreversible damage. This could lead to blindness or vision loss permanently
The alarming fact is that most patients with glaucoma reported little or no early symptoms or pain.
Which means that glaucoma does not affect the eyes in the way that visual limitations are noticeable.
Making regular eye check-up and examinations even more important to detect, early diagnose and treat the damage caused to prevent complete vision loss.
What Causes Glaucoma?
It is one of the root causes of central visual field defects, or “tunnel vision” and presents a set of visual limitations for glaucoma patients such as impaired sensitivity to contrast or problems with glare, issues adapting to the dark, ability to see in low light, and even reading.
Like most diseases, Glaucoma too has multiple causes associated with it. It could be the result of the clogging in the eye’s drainage system which prevents the intraocular fluid from draining and as the fluid builds up, it damages the sensitive nerve fibers due to the immense pressure.
Glaucoma can also be caused by a genetic disorder or a genetic disease while other causes include injury to the eye, blocked blood vessels inside the eye, inflammatory conditions, and eye infection.
Age also plays a vital role as individuals who fall under the age bracket of 40 plus are much more likely to be diagnosed with eye conditions like glaucoma, as compared to the younger age groups.
Food consumption is another important aspect that should be considered and monitored. A study published by the National Institute of Health clearly shows the effects of Body Mass Index on Intraocular pressure and suggests that overweight or obesity has a higher risk of glaucomatous injury with high IOP.
Foods high in saturated fats like beef, butter pork or lamb should be avoided at all costs. The same goes for a high trans fatty acid diet such as cookies, cakes, donuts or fried items as they are linked with high cholesterol levels that can damage blood vessels in the eyes and the body. For a more comprehensive take on what foods you should avoid, click here.
Options for Glaucoma Treatment
Routine eye examinations are the first step to detect any signs or symptoms of glaucoma, failing to do so may result in vision loss or irreversible damage
Take medications only when advised by or after consulting an eye specialist or an ophthalmologist.
They may prescribe or advise the use of certain eye drops that control eye pressure. In case the issue continues to exist despite the usage of eye drops, the eye specialist may prescribe medications or prescribe medication or pills that control the IOP. Making ill-informed decisions can lead to serious side effects e.g. reducing the fluid production in the eye.
Surgical treatment falls under the last stages for treating glaucoma and is prescribed only when eye drops, medication and other means fail to meet the desired results.
There are two broad categories for surgical treatment:
Traditional Glaucoma Surgery: includes non-penetrating glaucoma surgery, drainage implant surgery and trabeculectomy (the most common option for traditional glaucoma treatment). Through trabeculectomy open-angle as well as close-angle glaucoma can be treated effectively as it creates a passage in the sclera that helps drain excess eye fluid.
Glaucoma Laser Surgery: Laser treatment involves the use of a laser beam that uses high energy to fix the drainage system in the eye. The laser beam helps in creating an easy drain passage to the aqueous fluid of the eye, thus lowering the IOP. Some of the common examples include argon laser trabeculoplasty, selective laser trabeculoplasty. laser peripheral iridotomy and cycloablation.
Leading Glaucoma Smart Glasses – IrisVision
Though low vision aids such as electronic magnifiers, hand-held magnifiers, CCTV or video magnifiers have been widely popular and used by people with visual impairment, thanks to the integration between vision science and technology, new innovative solutions have emerged.
Clinically validated, award-winning technology: the IrisVision Live – leverages functional areas of the patient’s eyes to restore and amplify visual acuity instantly for people with eye conditions such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa etc.
The leading smart glasses for glaucoma patients, provides a 70-degree field of view with 14x magnification. Images and visuals appear sharp and crisp, enabling you to control contrast and glare according to your own needs which enhances the visual experience for the vision impaired and glaucoma patients.
Some of the key software lenses present in the wearable headset are:
It also contains a wide array of useful features like enabling users to take photos and save them for later with IrisVision’s Photo Gallery.
Make the most out of Smart Voice Commands using your very own personal assistant: Amazon Alexa. You can enjoy a hands-free experience and let Alexa do whatever you ask, such as “what’s the weather?”, “what time is it?”, or simply “take a photo”.
The IrisVision Live headset comes with a range of accessories such as headphones, fast charger and cable, carrying case, training guides, wireless charging pad.
The affordable low vision solution is easy to charge, and comes with free software updates, some of the reasons that makes it unparalleled to other low vision aids.
Users can also avail a 30-day free trial before purchasing the headset, and get one-on-one remote training by a panel of expert coaches. You can use the link below to begin the life-altering experience right away: https://irisvision.com/checkout/
