Chronic open-angle glaucoma is the most ordinary type of glaucoma. Open-angle glaucoma is a chronic, progressive disease that often presents with standard optic nerve damage, retinal nerve fiber layer defects, and subsequent visual loss. The damage to the optic nerve is caused by the increased pressure, which builds up over a period of time. Open-angle glaucoma means that the damage to the optic nerve is between the iris and the sclera. I will deliberate the three major aspects of chronic open-angle glaucoma, which are: the causes of the disease, the effect of the disease, and the treatment for the disease.
The cause of chronic open-angle glaucoma can be described as blockage in an area of the eye called trabecular meshwork. This blockage prevents certain liquids such as aqueous humor, from draining, which increases pressure inside an eye. Aqueous humor is a clear liquid inside a person’s eye. The reason for the blockage and for not draining the aqueous humor well is not fully understood. The increased pressure in the eye damages the optic nerve and the nerve fibers running towards it from the retina. The retina includes the seeing cells at the back of the eye. The damaged portions of the nerve and the retina lead to permanent areas of vision loss. In some occasions, this can ultimately lead to absolute blindness. Glaucoma can affect both eyes. Nevertheless, it can frequently progress more rapidly in one eye than in the other.
The effects of chronic open-angle glaucoma are crucial to every person who is diagnosed with this disease. A person diagnosed with open-angle glaucoma starts to lose their peripheral vision, which is used mostly for far-away objects. They will also not be able to see objects to their sides, by their feet or head. Losing peripheral vision can lead a person into auto accidents, running into objects, tripping, and falling. Glaucoma is one of the major causes of blindness. After the disease destroys a person’s peripheral vision, it starts to destroy the central vision as well, which people use for their daily lives.
Furthermore, there are three ways to treat chronic open-angle glaucoma, but the main goal of the treatment is to lower eye pressure. The first way is by treating it with prescribed eye drops. Eye drops will help the eye reduce the amount of aqueous humor that the eye makes and another drop might be prescribed to keep the pressure of the eye low. The second way to treat chronic open-angle glaucoma is by laser treatment. A special lens is placed on a person’s eye to help the laser beam focus and then the laser burns through the trabecular meshwork, which is supposed to help the aqueous humor drain. The last option to treat this disease is a surgery called trabeculectomy. The surgery is performed to make a passage from the front of a person’s eye to under the conjunctiva. The passage will help the aqueous humor bypass the blockage. These treatments will help prevent blindness; however, they will not help recover the eyesight that already has been lost.
Lastly, chronic open-angle glaucoma is a critical disease that damages the optic nerve in the eye due to increased pressure that builds up over a period of time. This specific type of glaucoma is caused by a blockage occurring in the trabecular meshwork of the eye. The effects of chronic open-angle glaucoma are as devastating as the disease itself. It affects the person’s peripheral vision, which prevents a person from seeing far away objects, as well as objects to their sides, and by their feet and head. It is important to understand that people with chronic open-angle glaucoma will not go blind if treated. People can take many forms of treatments such as eye drops prescribed by a doctor, laser treatment, and surgery. Through these treatments, the pressure of the eye will be lowered, and the aqueous humor will drain through the eye. It is very important to receive and follow treatment plans because this disease can damage a person’s life in many ways.
Works Cited
American Optometric Association http://www.aoa.org/documents/CPG-9.pdf
Chronic Open Angle Glaucoma http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK61905/
Glaucoma Research Foundation http://www.glaucoma.org/index.php?gclid=CIHYzNbmirICFdNxMgodpkAAug
