Glaucoma

Hi there! I'm sorry to learn that your dry eye condition is causing you discomfort. Please resist the temptation to rub! In my years of practice, I have seen some very bad consequences from vigourous eye-rubbing, including cataract and retinal detachment, which can be sight threatening! Dry eyes is actually a relatively common condition, and majority of cases are (thankfully) mild. However I can empathize that the symptoms of grittiness, like having sand in the eye, tearing, and the fear of bright lights etc can be quite bothersome.

Hi there! The exact reason why myopia causes glaucoma is not known. One possible hypothesis is that when you have very high myopia, your eyeball becomes stretched and the tissue supporting the nerve in the eye is weaker so you are at more risk of nerve damage from high pressures (or even pressures in the "normal" range). Reduced blood flow to the optic nerve in highly myopic eyes could be another reason. However, these are all hypotheses which have yet to be proven.

Hi there! Diabetes can affect the blood vessels that deliver oxygen to the eye, resulting in a lack of oxygen in the cells in the eye. When this happens, the eye responds by producing new blood vessels, with the hope of getting more oxygen delivered to its cells. However, these new blood vessels grow hapzardly in different parts of the eye, including at the drainage angle, leading to obstruction of the drainage system that normally allows fluid (aqueous) to flow out of the eye.

Hi there! The treatment options for glaucoma can be broadly divided into 3 categories -- medications, lasers, and surgeries. All these treatment options have the common aim of lowering eye pressures so that the optic nerve does not continue to be damaged, and vision can be preserved. Medications are usually in the form of eyedrops. There are 5 classes of eyedrops (4 commonly used, 1 less common), which can be used either singly or in combination.

Hi there! Symptoms of glaucoma can either be from build-up of pressure within the eye, or visual loss as a result of the high pressures. Glaucoma can be broadly divided into two categories, "open" or "closed" angle, depending on the configuration of the drainage angle of the eye, where fluid (aqueous) is drained out of the eye. Depending on the rate of build-up of pressure, glaucoma can be further described to be "acute" (or sudden), or "chronic" (or gradual). In most cases of open angle glaucoma and chronic closed angle glaucoma, the build-up of pressure is gradual, and without symptoms.