Eye disorder: Glaucoma
Pathophysiology
Caused by raised intraocular pressure. It is this raised pressure that compresses and damages the optic nerve. Once the optic nerve is damaged, it fails to carry visual information to the brain and this results in loss of vision.
Causes
dilating eye drops
blocked or restricted drainage in the eye
medications, such as corticosteroids
poor or reduced blood flow to the optic nerve
high or elevated blood pressure
Clinical manifestations
severe eye pain
vomiting
nausea
redness in the eye
sudden vision disturbanca
seeing colored rings around lihts
sudden blurred vision
stages
- elevated iop
- atrophy of the optic nerve
- alterations in aqueous outflow system
- an initial sequence of events
- progressive loss of the visual field
diagnostic procedures
risk factors
people over 40 years of age
family history of glaucoma
nearsighted or farsighted
have poor vision
diabetic people
taking steroid medications such as prednisone
have an injury o the eye
measure the eye pressure
inspect the eye's drainage angle
treatment
eye drops
carbonic anhydrase inhibitors
argons laser trabeculoplasty
selective laser trabeculoplasty
laser peripheral iridotomy
cyclophotocoagulation
measure the thickness of the cornea
test the peripheral vision
examine the optic nerve for damage
definition
a condition of increased pressure eyeball, causing gradual loss of sight