We all know how our eyes play a crucial part in providing quality of life. It mainly collects the light from the surroundings and converts that light into nerve impulses. With the support of the optic nerve, it transmits the signals to the brain, which forms an image, thereby providing sight.
Our eyes help us to read, observe the surroundings, see the environment, and connect with our near and dear ones. But sometimes they get affected because of various diseases. And glaucoma is a common eye disease. A healthcare professional uses a device called an applanation tonometer to diagnose the problem.
What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is known as one of the most common eye diseases that directly affects the optic nerve, which plays a major role in vision. This disease happens due to increased eye pressure , which results in permanent vision loss and even blindness. The pressure is built up because of the optic fluid that normally bathes and nourishes the eye.
This disease can affect anyone at any age. But certainly, it happens to people over the age of 50-60, which is the most common leading cause of blindness. However, glaucoma does not show any major symptoms.
Common myths and facts about glaucoma
Myth 1: Glaucoma affects only the elderly people.
Glaucoma is highly prevalent among older people, mostly those who are in their 50’s and 60’s. But it is not true. It can affect anybody at any certain age, even newborns too. It is diagnosed with a special device called an applanation tonometer or some eye tests.
It is very important to always go for regular eye checkups, even when you are in your 20’sor 30s, just to make sure that you are living with healthy eyes and there is no trace of any sort of eye disease.
However, if glaucoma is detected early, it can be treated with medication and other precautions, but once it majorly affects your eyes, it cannot be treated. Major glaucoma causes vision loss.
Myth 2: No one in my family has glaucoma, so I won’t get the disease.
Some people think that if there is no sign of glaucoma in their family history, then they are secure. Whether you have a family history of glaucoma or not, if your eye pressure is increased, it will affect you. Although if you have a family history, then there are high chances of developing this disease.
After all, your family does not have a family history because maybe everyone may not be examined properly for this Glaucoma. So it is necessary for the infected patient to get their family examined for it.
Myth 3: There is no cure for glaucoma, so there is no point in taking treatment.
Yes, it is true that glaucoma has had no cure until now. Once your vision is lost due to glaucoma, it cannot be recovered, but with the help of timely treatment, you can stop it from growing and prevent any further loss of vision.
Glaucoma is a progressive disease that will grow with time. In this, constant monitoring and examination are mainly required to prevent your eyes from any further vision loss. Otherwise, it will lead to blindness.
However, it is critical to seek treatment from a specialized ophthalmologist and have your eyes examined with the necessary eye tests.
Myth 4: Testing for glaucoma is very painful
All thanks to new and innovative technology that testing of glaucoma is totally painless. There are many eye examination tests which make it easy to get diagnosed.
However, there are various eye tests which are a non-contact device that blows a gentle puff of air into both the eyes to test the intraocular pressure. Sometimes the puff sound may be startling, but it’s gone in less than a second without causing any pain in the eye.
Myth 5: If my glaucoma is not controlled by medicines and eye drops, I have no other options.
If glaucoma is tested at early stages but still is not responding to any medication and eye drops, then doctors recommend surgical and laser treatment without getting any delay.
However there are certain types of glaucoma, one of which is ‘Angle Closure Glaucoma. For this type of glaucoma, laser treatment is highly recommended to stop the progress of the disease and prevent it from complete loss of vision.
Conclusion
The only way to discover glaucoma is through regular eye exams and an applanation tonometer. This will help you from preventing any significant vision loss or blindness if it is diagnosed and treated in the early stages.
At Almagia International, we provide the best easyton tonometer for eye pressure measurement specially designed for ophthalmologists. This helps measure eye pressure to prevent any ocular damage.