A condition of the eyes wherein internal pressure suddenly rises, acute glaucoma is characterized by reduced vision, pain and redness. The said eye disorder also exhibit symptoms such as nausea, headache and abdominal pain. If left untreated, it could result to further eye damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also called acute closed angle glaucoma, this eye disorder has two types: primary, secondary and congenital glaucoma. Primary or chronic glaucoma is the most common type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In order to fully understand the aetiology of this eye condition, it is recommended that you first understand the function of the eye fluid. It is important for the eye to maintain its shape for the accurate focusing of light rays into the retina. This is actually accomplished by a jelly-like substance called \u201cvitreous humour\u201d which fills most parts of the eye and the watery \u201caqueous humour\u201d in the front portion of the eye<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The aqueous humour circulates through the eye front and drains via the trabecular meshwork found at the iris base. This fluid production as well as drainage is continuous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sudden blockage in the draining of the eye fluid could cause the increase in internal pressure in the eye. As long as the fluid is not drained, the pressure continues to build up. The blockage can actually be attributed to the proximity of the iris to the eye’s lens resulting to the fluid getting stuck and making the iris bulge forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As for the reason for the blockage, it can be due to the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since it was mentioned that dim lighting can cause acute glaucoma, it is not surprising that it occurs most commonly during the night time. A simple activity such as watching a football game can trigger the symptoms due to combination of excitement and dim lights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Individuals who are at risk of acute glaucoma should also be cautious when taking certain medications for it could trigger the onset of this eye condition. Although the risk involved in suffering from this eye condition is relatively small, it certainly would not hurt to be careful. Among the medications considered as triggers include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another possible trigger is lying face down, such as in spinal operations, for a prolonged period for this could affect eye fluid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Certain risk factors should be considered to know if you are at risk for acute glaucoma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, most of the symptoms associated with acute glaucoma start without warning. They include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Again, these symptoms usually appear after the acute glaucoma is triggered due to certain lighting conditions or medications. If you experience any of the above symptoms, it is important that you seek medical attention to prevent worsening of the eye condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In most cases, acute glaucoma appears suddenly and you might not be able to immediately recognize the danger signs. Such symptoms that you should look out for include: seeing rainbows or haloes around lights, eye pain and blurred vision. They could be experienced intermittently and could even disappear after sleep. Make sure you contact your doctor at once to prevent further attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since acute glaucoma may be experienced without warning, diagnosis is usually made after the appearance of the symptoms. An eye specialist will confirm the eye condition after a detailed examination using a slit lamp as well as a specific test that will measure eye pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After confirmation, the eye specialist will immediately try to lower the pressure and reduce fluid build up by using:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Secondary treatment will usually involve:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Further treatment for prevention is recommended in order to ensure that the eye condition will not come back. Possible treatments include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most eye specialist will recommend any of the surgical treatment in order to prevent the other eye from getting acute glaucoma. Some patients will be prescribed eye drops as a part of their long-term treatment to ensure that eye pressure is kept in control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Without proper management and treatment, individuals diagnosed with acute glaucoma can experience blood vessel and nerve damage in their eyes due to the high pressure. This could likely lead to reduced vision or, in some extreme cases, even blindness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With immediate treatment and proper management, the outlook for acute glaucoma<\/strong> patients is quite good. The affected eye can easily recover and even return to normal after laser surgery treatment. Some individuals are even allowed to drive after recovery even if vision is permanently reduced in the affected eye. For those who were diagnosed with acute glaucoma on both eyes, the law requires you to inform the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Individuals who experience narrowing in the area wherein eye fluid usually drains are more likely to suffer from acute glaucoma. Such narrowing, referred to as narrow drainage angle or shallow anterior chamber can be detected during standard eye examination. Your eye specialist will immediately inform you of the risk involved and might advice you to be careful with eye drops and other medications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are considered to be at high risk for acute glaucoma, a laser surgery treatment may be recommended to prevent the condition from worsening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Considering the seriousness of this particular eye condition, all individuals should pay attention to symptoms such as vomiting, red eye, reduced vision and eye pain. Experiencing any of these symptoms can signal acute glaucoma and you should immediately get checked. Make sure you take note of the instance or situation when you experienced the symptoms such as dim lightning or after taking certain medications> Inform your eye doctor about this in order to identify the possible triggers and allow for easier diagnosis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A condition of the eyes wherein internal pressure suddenly rises, acute glaucoma is characterized by reduced vision, pain and redness. The said eye disorder also exhibit symptoms such as nausea, headache and abdominal pain. If left untreated, it could result to further eye damage. Also called acute closed angle glaucoma, … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecare-information-service.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecare-information-service.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecare-information-service.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecare-information-service.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecare-information-service.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecare-information-service.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecare-information-service.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Prevention of Acute Glaucoma<\/h2>\n\n\n\n