What should I do if I have glaucoma? Wuhan Aier Eye Hospital experts tell you

"Doctor, will I go blind if I get glaucoma?"

"Timely treatment can also effectively protect our eyes."

“What should I do if I really have glaucoma?”

How to treat glaucoma? Is surgery necessary? I believe this is a question that many glaucoma patients are concerned about.

Sun Zhong

Deputy Director of the Glaucoma Group of Aier Eye Hospital Group in Hubei Province

Deputy Director of Glaucoma Department, Aier Eye Hospital Affiliated to Wuhan University

Expertise: diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma and cataracts. Especially has rich clinical experience in the diagnosis and treatment of refractory glaucoma, congenital glaucoma and glaucoma combined with cataracts.

What is glaucoma?

Director Sun Chong said that glaucoma is a common and difficult eye disease. Although it cannot be completely cured, treatment in the early stages can usually prevent further damage and protect vision.

Important indicators for diagnosing glaucoma: changes in intraocular pressure. Intraocular pressure is the pressure in the eye, which is an important factor in maintaining the nutrition and structure of the eye. If the intraocular pressure rises, it will cause optic nerve atrophy and visual field defects. Such a problem is called glaucoma.

(Note: The normal value of intraocular pressure is 10-21 mmHg. Many glaucoma patients have intraocular pressure within the normal range, but they have typical glaucomatous optic nerve damage or visual field defects, which is called normal-tension glaucoma and also requires early treatment.)

What categories does it have?

Different types of glaucoma have different causes and are usually divided into four categories:

Primary glaucoma: Glaucoma that occurs in daily life without any external factors is called primary glaucoma.

Secondary glaucoma: due to trauma or eye diseases, such as iridocyclitis, or cataract surgery, especially if the surgery was not successful, etc., these are secondary factors.

Congenital glaucoma: mainly due to genetic factors, the intraocular pressure increases after birth, resulting in impaired vision and unclear vision.

Mixed glaucoma: Glaucoma is caused by at least two factors, such as trauma during the course of primary glaucoma, or retinal hemorrhage caused by diabetes, etc. This is called mixed glaucoma.

How is glaucoma treated?

The treatment of glaucoma emphasizes "three earlys", early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment. Currently, there are three commonly used methods and means to treat glaucoma: drug treatment, laser treatment, and surgical treatment. Regardless of the treatment method, you need to go to a regular hospital and take medicine and treatment under the guidance of a doctor.

Mild glaucoma requires long-term medication treatment, such as using eye drops to control intraocular pressure and regular follow-up visits; surgery can achieve a similar cure for glaucoma and stabilize intraocular pressure, but regular check-ups are also required.

People at high risk of glaucoma, such as those with a family history of glaucoma, severe myopia, migraines, and a history of eye trauma, should go to the hospital regularly for eye health examinations.

Director Sun Zhong reminded that although glaucoma is an irreversible eye disease, we can still use medical means to protect our eyesight from further damage. At the same time, good eye habits and a healthy mentality are also particularly important. Changes in intraocular pressure are related to them. Therefore, in daily life, everyone should pay more attention to their eye health and develop good eye habits and mentality, which can also be said to be the basis of eye health.