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Symptoms and treatment options for glaucoma

When the optic nerve of the eye gets damaged in a characteristic pattern, its known as glaucoma. This damage to the optic nerve causes visual impairment in the eye and may lead to blindness, if not treated properly. Glaucoma is normally associated with the increased intraocular pressure (IOP) of the eye. Glaucoma may be congenital and developmental, primary or secondary. The congenital type is associated with the abnormal intraocular pressure due to the developmental abnormalities of the angle of the interior chamber causing obstruction to the drainage of the aqueous humor. The primary type can be an open angle or the angle closure type. In the open type of primary glaucoma, there is an obvious systemic or local or ocular cause of rise in intraocular pressure whereas in the closure type of primary glaucoma, the drainage angle of the eye becomes blocked and the intraocular pressure goes up very fast. Symptoms of glaucoma Different types of glaucoma present different symptoms, which help in diagnosing the condition correctly. Congenital glaucoma is characterized by photophobia, lachrymation, corneal edema, optic disc cupping and tear of the Descemet’s membrane. Primary open angle glaucoma shows visual field defect, raised intraocular pressure and optic disc changes whereas primary angle closure glaucoma is represented by severe pain in one eye, red eyes, decreased or cloudy vision, nausea and vomiting, corneal oedema, halos around light, atrophy of the iris, fixed mid-dilated pupils, changes in the optic disk and a very high intraocular pressure (more than 30 mm of Hg).