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What You Need to Know About Glaucoma on National Glaucoma Awareness Month

Comfort Keepers In-Home Care in Gainesville, Florida.

Comfort Keepers Seniorcare in Gainesville, FL: What You Need to Know About Glaucoma on National Glaucoma Awareness Month

Comfort Keepers in Gainesville, FL offers senior care for those suffering from glaucoma

Glaucoma is a serious disease that needs to be addressed in the senior community because it can lead to complete vision loss and blindness. The optic nerve in your eye is responsible for your vision and when there are problems with this nerve, you may experience vision loss. Glaucoma is considered one of the leading causes of blindness in the elderly. Comfort Keepers senior care experts recommend that all seniors have their eyes checked at a minimum of once per year to ensure they do not have glaucoma.

Below, we will discuss the risk factors, causes, symptoms, and treatments for this disease, so that you and your loved one know what to expect.

Glaucoma Risk Factors

The biggest risk factor for glaucoma is elevated pressure in the eye. While this is often not the only risk factor, it plays an important role in whether or not you may develop the disease. Some of the other risk factors include previous eye injuries, thin corneas, family history of glaucoma, history of shock or anemia, and old age.

Glaucoma Causes

Glaucoma appears when there is a buildup of pressure in the eye, which is caused by the eye not being able to drain fluid properly. The pressure that is produced affects the optic nerve and can lead to blindness or at minimum, vision loss temporarily. Comfort Keepers senior care professionals remind you that glaucoma can arise in individuals who do not have a buildup of pressure, especially if they experience poor blood flow or their optic nerve is fragile.

Glaucoma Symptoms

One type of glaucoma that you want to watch out for is open-angle glaucoma. This is because this type does not show any symptoms, but it does affect seniors and can lead to vision loss, which is the only symptom that will appear.

Narrow-angle glaucoma is another type and is considered an emergency. This type is marked with severe eye pain, blurred vision, vomiting, redness of the eyes, and seeing halos around lights.

Treatment for Glaucoma

There are many ways to treat glaucoma and one of the most common methods is through eye drops. These drops are prescribed by the optometrist and work to reduce the amount of fluid that collects in the eye. If the drops do not work, the eye doctor may prescribe oral medication to help.

Comfort Keepers senior care experts weigh in on another treatment option that is available and that is surgery. Laser surgery is often used when it comes to open-angle glaucoma in seniors. The surgery is often very effective when it comes to stopping fluid blockage.

Comfort Keepers senior care experts want to remind you that glaucoma cannot be prevented, but it can be properly treated and managed once it is diagnosed.