Facts on Glaucoma

Glaucoma is an eye disease which affects about 2 per cent of the UK population over 40.

In this article:

What is glaucoma?

Diagnosis

Advice & Support

Symptoms

Treatment

Causes

How Chemist Online can help

What is Glaucoma?
There are several types of glaucoma, but the most common form of the disease in the UK is chronic-simple (or chronic open-angle) glaucoma. The condition affects your vision and becomes progressively worse with age.

People of African origin are much more likely to develop glaucoma than Europeans. You are also more likely to develop the disease if one of your siblings has it.

Symptoms
Symptoms of glaucoma include:

gradual loss of side vision (or peripheral vision)

headaches

painful eyes (due to the rapid surge in pressure around the eyeball)

the impression of halo like shapes around lights

redness of vision (particularly where peripheral vision is blurred)

Note: These symptoms may not be advanced to the same stage in both eyes.

Causes
Glaucoma develops as a result of the pressure inside the eye becoming higher than normal, and also where the natural fluids which flow in and out of the eye become blocked (these fluids are there to ensure the eyeball retains its orb-like shape, and to lubricate it so that it does not become too hard or soft). All this can damage the optic nerve at the back of the eye and impact negatively upon your vision.

Diagnosis
The problem with diagnosing glaucoma is that there are no symptoms to this condition until the disease has reached a considerably advanced stage.

As glaucoma develops, you will develop blank patches in your vision which are basically unnoticeable because to cope with this development the brain tries to compensate by ‘filling on the gaps’. Your central vision is affected as these blank patches gradually enlarge and progress towards it.

When you go for an eye test, your ophthalmologist will carry out a general test which will highlight whether you are suffering from glaucoma, and to what stage the disease has advanced.

The diagnostic tests are carried out by:

measuring the intraocular pressure around your eye (to see if it is unnaturally raised)

inspecting the optic nerve head at the back of the eye to see if any changes or damage has occurred

performing visual field tests to accurately measure to what extent your peripheral and central vision is affected (measured as a percentage)

Treatment
Treatment of glaucoma usually involves prescribed eye-drops, such as beta-blockers and alpha agonists which help to reduce the amount of fluid your eyes produce.

Other treatments include:

laser treatment – where some of your vision is maintained by creating a hole in your iris (both eyes), and

surgery – where glaucoma has reached an advanced stage, sometimes the lens of the eye is removed and replaced by an artificial lens

How Chemist Online can help
Through this website we have a range of treatments available to buy which can help with symptoms of glaucoma, such as Anadin Original Tablets and Disprin Direct chewable dissolve in the mouth tablets which can both provide relief from headache and migraine.



www.chemistonline.co.uk



Advice & Support
International Glaucoma Association (UK branch)
Woodcote House
Highpoint Business Village
Henwood
Ashford
Kent
TN24 8DH
Tel: 01233 64 81 64
Glaucoma Association UK website
E-mail: info@iga.org.uk

Royal National Institute of Blind People
105 Judd Street
London
WC1H 9NE
Directions to Judd Street

Tel: 020 7388 1266
Website: www.rnib.org.uk
E-mail: helpline@rnib.org.uk



This information and advice is not intended to replace the advice of your GP or chemist. Chemist Online is also not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based upon the content of the Chemist Online website. Chemist Online is also not liable for the contents of any external internet sites listed, nor does it endorse any commercial product or service mentioned or advised on any of the sites.


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