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Cause of Glaucoma explained

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Glaucoma describes a condition in which the optic nerve degenerates “more quickly” than it should, explained Dr Alastair Lockwood, ophthalmologist and eye health specialist at Feel Good Contacts. It already affects more than half a million people in the UK, with this number set to experience a steep rise by 2035.

The optic nerve that plays a crucial role in glaucoma is “the electrical cable that carries information from your eye to your brain”, the expert noted.

One of the main underlying causes behind the scary eye condition is high pressure within the eye.

And hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is one of the risk factors for glaucoma.

Apart from its “irreversible” consequences, naproxen and blood pressure pills the condition can be silent until it progresses.

Dr Lockwood said: “Our brains are able to compensate for the natural degeneration so we have little awareness of disease progression.

“However, this means there are often no symptoms until the disease is very advanced, and we cannot (yet) rejuvenate a human optic nerve.”

What are the symptoms of glaucoma?

The expert explained that potential warning signs include:

• Pain (especially in bright lights)
• Headache
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Vision loss.

He shared that these signs are triggered by the abrupt rise in eye pressure in acute angle-closure glaucoma.

However, many people with glaucoma might not experience any symptoms early on, which is why Dr Lockwood recommended regular eye checks.

“The general recommendation is to visit your optician at least every two years for an examination for a full health check with a prescription review, and at least yearly if there are added risk factors, for example, a family history,” he said.

One of the added risk factors is high blood pressure.

Specsavers explained that blood pressure and the potential cause of irreversible blindness “share a complex relationship”.

Suffering from very high blood pressure can cause the pressure inside your eye to rise, representing one of the “main” causes of glaucoma.

However, the opticians also noted that low blood pressure isn’t desirable either as it can lead to insufficient blood supply to the optic nerve.

Specsavers said: “This is an important consideration because over-treatment of hypertension with medications can lead to a situation where the blood pressure is too low and can cause damage to the eye.

“The key is to avoid extremes of blood pressure and to let your optometrist or ophthalmologist know if you’re taking any antihypertensive medications.”

In case you’re not aware, the ideal blood pressure is considered to be between 90/60 millimetres of mercury (mmHg) and 120/80mmHg.

However, glaucoma isn’t the only eye condition linked to hypertension. Other potential eye diseases include:

• Hypertensive retinopathy
• Choroidopathy
• Optic neuropathy.

Specsavers explained that these problems can lead to vision loss or vision impairment. So, it’s important to keep your blood pressure levels in check.

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