Expert answer:
Glaucoma is a disease that affects the eyes, caused by injuries in the optic nerve resulting from increased eye pressure, which impairs vision and can lead to blindness.
There are several types of glaucoma, which can be acute (closed angle), chronic (open angle), secondary or congenital:
- Acute glaucoma: Also known as angle-closure glaucoma, it causes sudden and severe loss of vision, caused by an extreme increase in internal pressure of the eyes;
- Chronic glaucoma: Also called open-angle glaucoma, it is characterized by loss of peripheral vision and represents the majority of cases;
- Secondary glaucoma: occurs after ocular surgery, advanced cataracts, uveitis, diabetes, trauma or use of corticosteroids;
- Congenital glaucoma: Rare and hereditary disease, which arises due to poor eye formation, which can lead to irreversible blindness.
The Glaucoma Symptoms rarely manifest at the beginning. Only in more advanced cases does vision loss occur, which begins with loss of peripheral vision, progressing to a narrowing of the visual field.
In acute glaucoma, the characteristic symptoms are:
- Severe headaches;
- Photophobia;
- Nausea;
- Severe eye pain.
The ophthalmologist is the doctor who performs the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma.
