Complications of glaucoma to watch out for

Glaucoma is something that cannot be underestimated. The reason is, glaucoma causes damage to the optic nerves in the eye so that it can be fatal if not treated promptly. What are the complications and dangers of glaucoma? Continue to follow the full explanation below.

The main complication of glaucoma

When a person has glaucoma, the first thing they usually worry about is the condition of their vision as the disease progresses.

Yes, it's no secret that the main complication of glaucoma is impaired vision, which can lead to total blindness.

In the human eye, the optic nerves are made up of retinal ganglion cells. These cells play an important role in the process of human vision. There are about 1 million retinal ganglion cells in each of our eyes.

Glaucoma is a disease that attacks the retinal ganglion cells, so that the cells die and the optic nerves are damaged. Usually, the damage will affect peripheral vision first. Peripheral vision is what the human eye perceives at the outermost part or edge of the eye.

Therefore, most people with glaucoma are not aware of this complication because the decrease in vision occurs in the outer part of the eye first. This condition of decreased peripheral vision usually occurs in mild and moderate glaucoma.

However, at a more advanced stage of the disease, the damage to the peripheral vision becomes more severe. The patient may begin to have difficulty in activities that require peripheral vision, such as driving or crossing the road. Gradually, glaucoma will cause tunnel vision, a condition when the patient looks like he is looking from a dark tunnel.

How fast will blindness occur?

How quickly the patient loses all his vision will depend on the type of glaucoma you have, when the disease was discovered, and the treatment you are taking.

In patients with open-angle glaucoma, most cases of damage to the optic nerve occur over a longer period of time. The onset of glaucoma symptoms and progression of the disease tends to be slower.

In addition, if the patient is diagnosed with glaucoma at an early stage, it is likely that he will still have normal vision abilities for a longer time. In fact, it is possible that the patient will not experience complications of life-long blindness, as long as he gets the right glaucoma treatment.

However, if the doctor finds glaucoma at a stage that is quite severe, the patient's chances of experiencing visual disturbances are even greater. If it is not treated with proper medical treatment, blindness may occur quickly from the time it is discovered.

According to an article from Middle East African Journal of Ophthalmology, a situation when the patient is completely blind and the high eye pressure is uncontrollable is called absolute glaucoma. The blindness caused by glaucoma is permanent and cannot be reversed by any therapy or medication.

However, you may still get treatment from a doctor to reduce pain due to high eye pressure. In addition, you may also receive psychological therapy as a form of support for patients who have lost sight.

Other complications due to glaucoma surgery

To treat glaucoma, surgery is often an option if other treatments don't work. Even so, glaucoma surgery is also not without risks and side effects.

Here are some of the complications that can arise, both before, during, and after glaucoma surgery:

1. Hypotony

Hypothesis, or low eye pressure, is one of the problems that is at risk of occurring in glaucoma surgery. Eyeball pressure that is too low can occur due to excessive drainage of the eye fluid, or surgical wounds that are not treated properly.

If the hypotony is not treated immediately, the patient is at risk for other problems, such as fluid buildup in the cornea, cataracts, bleeding, and blindness.

2. Hyphema

Hyphema is also a fairly common complication found in glaucoma surgery. Hyphema is blood that accumulates in the front of the eye, between the iris and the cornea. This condition usually occurs in the first 2-3 days after surgery.

Hyphema usually occurs due to trauma during surgery, resulting in injury or tear in the iris of the eye. If enough blood has accumulated due to hyphema, the doctor will perform an operation to remove the blood.

3. Supracoroid hemorrhage

Supracoroid hemorrhage is a very rare complication, but has the potential to result from a glaucoma surgical procedure. Bleeding occurs when the blood vessels in the eye fill the chambers or gaps near the sclera (the white part of the eye).

Apart from being rare, supracoroid hemorrhages can lead to fatal problems. If it occurs during the operation process, the patient is at risk for blindness. However, bleeding that occurs a few days after surgery can be treated with steroid treatment or eye sclera surgery.

Those were the various complications of glaucoma. In order to avoid the complications above, always keep your eyes healthy by taking proper glaucoma prevention, such as routine eye examinations periodically.