Difference between glaucoma and cataract-various-aspects-
Cataracts and glaucoma are both prevalent degenerative eye diseases and possible causes of blindness. Because both illnesses can be age-related and ultimately cause a loss of vision, they are frequently misdiagnosed. Although there are some parallels between the two situations, they are not identical. The primary distinctions between cataracts and glaucoma, their definition, symptoms, causes, and therapy choices will be covered in this article.
What is glaucoma?
The optic nerve, which links the eye to the brain, is harmed by glaucoma, a prevalent eye ailment. Although glaucoma can strike at any age, it usually affects older adults 70 and older. A buildup of fluid at the front of your eye is the typical cause of glaucoma. People with a parent or sibling who have the illness are more likely to get it, and it can be passed down through genes.
If any patient of ENT requires any surgery, opd consultation or online consultation in clinic of ENT specialist Doctor Dr Sagar Rajkuwar ,he may contact him at the following address-
Prabha ENT clinic, plot no 345,Saigram colony, opposite Indoline furniture Ambad link road, Ambad ,1 km from Pathardi phata Nashik ,422010, Maharashtra, India-Dr Sagar Rajkuwar (MS-ENT), Cell no- 7387590194 , 9892596635
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Different forms of glaucoma include:
- The most prevalent kind, primary open angle glaucoma, is brought on by an obstruction of your eye’s drainage ducts and manifests slowly.
- The less prevalent form of glaucoma is called acute angle closure glaucoma. It is caused by a sudden blockage in the angle or the door of the eye, which prevents the drainage channels from functioning properly and causes a rapid increase in eye pressure.
- Secondary glaucoma is caused by an underlying illness, such as diabetes, steroids, uveitis (eye inflammation), or surgery.
- Congenital glaucoma: A rare form of glaucoma known as childhood glaucoma that affects young children as a result of an anomaly.
What is a cataract?
Cataracts are a prevalent disorder that affects eyesight. They are hazy spots that appear on the surface of your eye’s lens. The majority of individuals over the age of 65 are affected by cataracts, which lead to hazy or unclear vision. As protein clumps grow larger over time on the lens, they develop.
The illness may manifest itself in one or both eyes, but each eye can only have one cataract.
The signs of cataracts and glaucoma
In its earliest stages, glaucoma may be asymptomatic. However, while there are a few distinctions between glaucoma and cataracts, they can have many of the same symptoms, such as hazy vision, halos surrounding lights, and diminished night vision.
You might see blind spots or patches if you have open angle glaucoma since it impacts your peripheral vision. This occurs gradually, and before a patient notices any major issue, they may have lost 80–90% of their eyesight. Early detection and treatment can prevent this irreparable vision loss. When one has cataracts, one’s vision tends to be hazy or cloudy, and nighttime glare may occur.
The eye may be painful in closed angle glaucoma. Your eye might look red and feel firm, and you may also experience severe eye pain, headache, nausea/vomiting. Halos surrounding light at night is one of the typical signs of glaucoma with a closed angle in its early stages. In most cases, though, the ailment is discovered during a regular optometrist checkup since there are no symptoms.
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What distinguishes cataracts from glaucoma?
The way that glaucoma and cataracts impact the eye is one of their primary differences. Two separate parts of the eye are impacted by the two disorders. A fluid buildup in the eye causes pressure in the eye, which results in glaucoma and harms the optic nerve located in the back of the eye. Protein clumps on the lens, which is located at the front of the eye, are a feature of cataracts.
The fact that vision loss caused by cataracts may be treated with surgery but not in glaucoma patients is another notable distinction. Cataracts may be treated with cataract surgery, whereas glaucoma is often treated with microsurgical procedures like a trabeculectomy, laser surgery, or medicated eye drops.
Is there a connection between glaucoma and cataracts?
Although cataracts and glaucoma are often not directly related, one ailment might potentially cause the other. A cataract can grow large enough to obstruct the eye’s drainage channels, resulting in fluid accumulation and elevated pressure that causes glaucoma. In addition, you run the risk of developing cataracts following glaucoma surgery.
Is it possible to have cataracts and glaucoma at the same time?
It is possible to have cataracts and glaucoma simultaneously, and one may cause the other. Surgery can be used to cure this, and the pressure on the optic nerve of your eye can be relieved by removing the cataract and clearing the drainage channel.
It’s also possible that glaucoma treatment hastens the development of cataracts. In these cases, studies indicate that it can be helpful to postpone cataract removal surgery for a year or two following glaucoma surgery to allow your eye time to recover before the cataract is removed. Another option is to perform cataract surgery either alone or in conjunction with glaucoma treatment, such as endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation (ECP), laser therapy, or microstenting. Numerous more recent, less invasive surgical methods are now available for the treatment of glaucoma as well.
Therapy for cataracts and glaucoma
Depending on how severe the illness is, the optimum course of action will vary. The most common course of action for treating cataracts is surgery. Although changing your glasses or contact lens prescription may help you see better, surgery will ultimately be necessary if this has not been successful and cataracts are impairing your quality of life.
Treatment for cataracts
The clouded lens is removed and replaced with an artificial one during cataract surgery.
This is often accomplished by phacoemulsification surgery, which uses ultrasonic radiation to emulsify the nucleus of the lens prior to the implantation of an intraocular lens. Under local anesthetic, cataract surgery is often done as day surgery.
Options for lens implants include:
- monofocal lenses, also called standard lenses, only concentrate on far, close, or intermediate vision.
- These are more contemporary lenses with an extended depth of focus that can offer distance, intermediate, and some close vision without sacrificing contrast sensitivity.
- multifocal lenses: split the light to concentrate on close, intermediate, and distant vision. These are only appropriate if there are no other eye issues, such as dry eye, glaucoma, retinal illness, etc.
toric lenses: this lens corrects the form of the eye by tailoring the power of the new lens in the two different meridians to further enhance the quality of vision. - To ascertain the appropriateness of the different lens types for you, your ophthalmologist will evaluate your medical history and conduct a thorough eye exam, including measurements.
Therapy for glaucoma
Glaucoma therapy may involve the following to prevent your eyesight from deteriorating:
- eye drops with a prescription to lower the pressure in your eyes.
- Oral medications include, for example, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (acetazolamide).
- Laser therapy: This treatment, known as selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT), either enhances the function of drainage channels, performs a peripheral iridotomy (PI) to open blocked drainage channels in angle closure, or uses cyclophotocoagulation to decrease fluid formation in the eyes.
- To improve the existing drainage channel or create a new one via glaucoma surgery. These include trabeculectomy, aqueous shunt tube, preserflo microhunt, hydrus, ECP laser, suprachoroidal shunts, and other procedures.
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If Any Patient of ENT Requires Any Surgery, Opd Consultation Or Online Consultation In Clinic of ENT Specialist Doctor Dr. Sagar Rajkuwar ,He May Contact Him At The Following Address-
Prabha ENT Clinic, Plot no 345,Saigram Colony, Opposite Indoline Furniture Ambad Link Road ,Ambad ,1 km From Pathardi Phata Nashik ,422010 ,Maharashtra, India-Dr. Sagar Rajkuwar (MS-ENT), Cell No- 7387590194, 9892596635
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