Let’s try to understand this a little better. The frontal region of the eye, between the cornea and lens, is filled with a fluid called aqueous humor. This liquid is regularly drained and produced and maintains a constant balance. The aqueous humor constantly drains out through the trabecular meshwork or the uveoscleral outflow. Blockage in either of these can cause eye pressure to increase, which in turn damages the optic nerve can be categorized as secondary glaucoma. Similar to primary glaucoma, secondary glaucoma can affect one or both eyes.
Depending on what pathway is blocked, secondary glaucoma can be categorized into secondary open-angle glaucoma or secondary angle-closure glaucoma. In the former, the trabecular meshwork resists the liquid from flowing freely whereas, in the latter, both the pathways get blocked, mostly caused by a damaged iris blocking the pathways. Both of these are caused by the angle of the iris with the cornea, depending on this either of the pathways could be blocked.
Once these symptoms appear, immediate action should be taken as secondary glaucoma causes blindness if left untreated. Now that we know what secondary glaucoma is, let’s look into what causes secondary glaucoma to appear in the first place.
The best way to prevent secondary glaucoma is
The diagnosis of secondary glaucoma generally includes a simple procedure which begins with a dilution of the eyes post which the optometrist will check your optic nerve for signs of glaucoma and most often takes pictures to compare during your next visit.
Other tests for secondary glaucoma include,
Secondary glaucoma treatment often includes attempting to bring the eye pressure down through multiple methods. Quite often the underlying issues are also targeted to reduce their impact on the eyes. But the most common treatment options for secondary glaucoma include
Each of these methods is used to ensure that the eye pressure comes down until the underlying issues such as diabetes or injuries to the eye are dealt with.
While the symptoms of secondary glaucoma appear much later, it is better to take the precaution by taking regular eye exams. Eye care specialists at Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital provide the best care and complete diagnosis along with treatments for secondary glaucoma.
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