Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospital Invents a New Treatment for Glaucoma

The eye resembles a CAMERA. Just as we take a photograph with the camera, so also the eye takes a photograph of an object seen by it. In the camera, an object is focused onto the film of the camera by a lens. This image is an inverted image and it is developed int the studio and made into an erect one. The same way, an object is focused by the lens of the eye onto the film of the eye called RETINA. This image is also inverted and is made erect by the brain.

GLAUCOMA is an ocular disease which is contributed by raise in eye pressure and subsequent optic nerve (nerve that connects eye to the brain) damage and visual loss. According to WHO Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness globally. Glaucoma, however, presents perhaps an even greater public health challenge than cataracts: because the blindness it causes is irreversible.

WHAT IS GLAUCOMA?

Glaucoma is an eye disease which is one of the leading causes of blindness in India. It is fairly common in adults above the age of 35 years. A clear transparent fluid called AQUEOUS HUMOR flows through the inner eye continuously. This inner flow can be compared to a sink with the tap turned on all the time. If the drainpipe gets blocked, water collects in the sink. Similarly in the eye there is a drainage system. Fluid is continuously coming into the eye and going out of the eye. In GLAUCOMA, the fluid is entering the eye, but not going out because the drainage pipe of the eye is blocked. Once this happens, the fluid accumulates more and more in the eye and the pressure of the eye increases. This increase in pressure indicates Glaucoma. Normal eye pressure in the general population ranges from 11 to 21mmHg.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF GLAUCOMA?

- Frequent changes of glasses, especially for near work, but none is satisfactory,

- Rainbow coloured rings around lights

- Blurred or foggy vision and

- Loss of side vision

Keep in mind that having any of these symptoms does not necessarily mean that a person has glaucoma. It is better to get a check up of your eye condition if you suffer from any of these symptoms.

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF GLAUCOMA?

Glaucoma is broadly divided into 2 types, namely the Open angle glaucoma and the Closed angle glaucoma. Closed angle glaucoma occurs due to narrow angles (the region where the eye fluid circulates to maintain pressure) and associated iris (the brown tissue) abnormality. Primary angle closure glaucoma forms almost half of all adult primary glaucomas seen in a hospital setting in India. The disease is often silent and the patient can present in late stages. However when treated in early stages, the vision can be maintained.

TREATMENT

SINGLE PASS FOUR THROW (SFT) PUPILLOPLASTY is the latest technique /treatment developed by Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospital, Chennai, ideal for treating Closed angle glaucoma caused due to abnormal iris configuration and closed angle. In SFT, the iris position is corrected by releasing the iris from the angles where the fluid drains. This new method of pulling the iris (the brown tissue) from the angle from where it has been attached to the centre creates clear angles. By this method, the iris is preventing from blocking the aqueous or fluid flow inside the eye which is necessary for maintaining pressure. This method has shown better outcomes as compared to laser treatment. The method will certainly provide added advantage in treating such patients with high eye pressure due to closed angles by iris tissue. First in the world, SINGLE PASS FOUR THROW (SFT) PUPILLOPLASTY has shown good results in patients with both early and advanced closed angle Glaucoma.