Home Health Aide Agency in Spring Lake, Muskegon, MI, and the Surrounding Areas Offered by Comfort Keepers

Comfort Keepers Home Health Aide Agency in Spring Lake, MI offers home care services to people with glaucoma

If you were to hear the word glaucoma, what comes to mind? Likely you know that it is an eye disease, but you may not know much more beyond that. Glaucoma is not always a painful disease, but it is a serious eye disease and needs to be treated. Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly, so the Comfort Keepers Home Health Aide Agency recommends that all seniors have their eyes checked once per year. Below, we will talk to you about the eye disease to help you better understand it.

What Causes Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is caused when there is a presence of additional fluid in the eye and it does not drain properly. This buildup causes pressure and the pressure places stress on the optic nerve, which does not allow it to work. This means that vision loss and blindness can occur.

Comfort Keepers Home Health Aide Agency experts want to remind you that pressure buildup is not the only cause and some individuals will develop the eye disease if they have poor blood flow to the eye or if they have a fragile optic nerve.

Are There Risk Factors for Glaucoma?

The most commonly known risk factor for glaucoma is the presence of a buildup of pressure in the eye. However, this is not the only risk factor. Some of the others include old age, family history of glaucoma, nearsightedness, previous eye injuries, history of anemia or shock, and thin corneas.

What Are Some of the Symptoms of Glaucoma?

There are two main types of glaucoma, which include open-angle and narrow-angle. With open-angle glaucoma, there are no symptoms that present themselves and the individual may suddenly experience vision loss. Because of this, the Comfort Keepers Home Health Aide Agency team encourages seniors to have their eyes checked by a professional regularly.

Narrow-angle glaucoma is considered to be a medical emergency and needs treatment ASAP. This type will present symptoms such as vomiting or nausea, eye redness, severe eye pain, blurred vision, and seeing halos around lights.

Are There Treatments Available?

Yes. There are treatments available for glaucoma and the most commonly turned to option is eye drops. These drops work to reduce the fluid and pressure in the eye. If for some reason the drops do not work for you, the doctor will prescribe oral medication for you to take.

Another treatment option is surgery and this method is used with open-angle glaucoma and is very effective.

The Comfort Keepers Home Health Aide Agency team is here to help you or your loved one who may suffer from glaucoma. Remember, the disease cannot be prevented, but it can be managed with the proper treatment.