With age, the human body begins to age. Various diseases appear. The work of the cardiovascular system, kidneys, stomach and musculoskeletal system is deteriorating. In most cases, especially after 45 years, people have poor eyesight and various diseases associated with the eyes. The most common is glaucoma. This disease can appear not only in older people, sometimes it occurs at a younger age. Glaucoma treatment in the elderly should only be carried out under the supervision of a physician. The causes of this ailment can be very diverse. These can be various heart diseases, diabetes and atherosclerosis.
In most cases, glaucoma develops in those over 60. Over time, the risk of intraocular pressure increases. If someone from your family had glaucoma, then you may also have this problem. The disease is quite possible to prevent. To do this, you need to undergo a complete diagnosis.
Varieties of glaucoma
- The most common is open type of glaucoma. With it, an increase in eye pressure occurs .
- With the closed type, there is no access for the outflow of fluid. The angle of the anterior chamber of the organ of vision is obscured by the iris.
- There is also a normotensive type. With it, intraocular pressure does not increase, but the optic nerve is damaged.
- Pigmentary glaucoma is sometimes found. With this disease, pigment deposition on the iris can be observed , which leads to clogging of the filtration angle. Pressure rises, and fluid outflow is not performed. All this causes inflammation.
- There is a congenital form of the disease. She appears after birth or during the first 5 years.
- Some have a neovascular type of glaucoma. With it, the vessels in the iris grow intensively, which stops the outflow of fluid.
- In some cases, it is possible to observe deposits in the form of flakes, which leads to clogging of the anterior chamber of the eye.
What are the signs of glaucoma in old age?
In fact, there may be many signs of the appearance of this problem in older people:
- You may notice visual impairment.
- Aching and cutting pain in the eye area is also usually felt.
- Excessive moisture in the eyes may appear.
- A sign of glaucoma is sometimes nausea and headache.
- Weakness will be felt, and everything around will seem like in a fog.
Glaucoma in the elderly appears suddenly or in slow motion. With the rapid development of the disease, a person can feel pain in the eyes and pain radiating to the temples.
Sometimes it is difficult to prevent this disease due to the absence of symptoms at an early stage. Treatment can be carried out in various ways. There are medications for this. Sometimes it is necessary to carry out surgical intervention, and some are satisfied with the treatment with folk remedies.
It is important to know that in the process of eliminating this disease, it is necessary to remove all spicy and salty foods from your diet. You also need to constantly visit a doctor to monitor treatment. It is necessary to give up alcohol. With glaucoma, it is better to refrain from the bath.
What are the features of getting rid of the problem
Mostly glaucoma occurs in the elderly. How to treat quickly?
It all depends on the type of disease. Glaucoma is primary open. There is also an acute form of the disease - closed.
Primary glaucoma can occur due to injuries, or some drugs can provoke it. The development of this disease can be stopped if you use eye drops, special preparations, or resort to laser exposure. The last treatment option is not cheap. Moreover, a full recovery may not occur.
Acute glaucoma is eliminated in order to reduce intraocular pressure. The treatment of glaucoma in the elderly is carried out throughout life. The doctor prescribes drugs that will need to be taken every day.
The appearance of the disease can be affected by diabetes. Due to the high blood sugar level, metabolic disturbances in the human body are observed. There is an outflow of fluid from the organs of vision, which leads to an increase in intraocular pressure. It is because of this that glaucoma can occur.
In diabetes mellitus, it is difficult to eliminate the described problem due to the limited intake of certain drugs. This disease can occur in people with constant high blood pressure. Because of this, a full blood supply to the eyes suffers . All this also leads to loss of vision.
What you need to know in order not to aggravate the course of the disease?
- With glaucoma it is forbidden to lift weights.
- Also, you can not sit at the computer for a long time.
- You only need to watch TV in the light.
- It is necessary to completely abandon alcoholic beverages and cigarettes.
- You can’t sleep on your stomach face down.
- Also, they do not recommend staying in the sun for a long time.
Glaucoma patients should adhere to a certain regimen. It is important to ensure a full sleep. Patients should take daily walks in the fresh air. They are also advised to follow a milk and vegetable diet. Do not drink plenty of fluids. It is very useful to eat watermelons and other diuretic products. When glaucoma is not recommended to wear pressure clothing. And on the street on sunny days you need to go out in sunglasses.
Surgical intervention
Only with an advanced stage of the disease may surgery be required. This is the only way to treat glaucoma, other methods will no longer help restore vision. With a closed form, therapy is carried out by the method of iridotomy.
The open form is treated by means of micro-penetrating trabeculectomy. Specialists make additional channels where the eye fluid will penetrate. In some cases, sclerotomy may be used. Moreover, specialists are thinning the boundaries of the departments of the eye membranes. If glaucoma occurs in mild form in the elderly, treatment without surgery is quite successful.
How is drug therapy carried out?
There are several ways to combat glaucoma:
- Therapy aimed at relieving intraocular pressure.
- Various treatments to improve blood circulation.
- Establishment of metabolism in the tissues of the eye.
It is also necessary to constantly visit specialists so that they monitor the treatment process. When using drops, it is important to know the following:
- The drug begins to act after a certain period of time.
- Drops help reduce eye pressure.
- There are exceptions when, under the influence of a therapeutic agent, the pressure rises.
- Drops can not be used for more than 1 year in a row.
If glaucoma is detected in advanced form in the elderly, surgery is inevitable. It’s better not to self-medicate, but to contact a specialist. A careless attitude to your health can lead to terrible consequences, namely to complete blindness.
Disease prevention
Prevention of any disease is very important.
What to do to prevent glaucoma in the elderly (treatment described above)? You need to start with the transition to a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition. Foods rich in vitamins and minerals should be taken. Sour-milk and dairy products, as well as vegetables and fruits are very useful.
It is necessary to remove bread from your diet. Do not eat salty and spicy foods. It is worth giving up coffee. It is necessary to constantly do gymnastics for the eyes. Lifting is strictly prohibited.
If the disease still develops, the treatment of glaucoma in the elderly should be carried out with caution, because pathological changes associated with age must be taken into account.
Folk remedies for getting rid of the problem
- The treatment of glaucoma in the elderly by folk remedies is considered the most common. Many people prefer to eliminate it with bee products. In general, various pathologies can be treated in this way. They recommend putting lotions from honey. To prepare a medicinal product, you need to dilute it with warm water in a ratio of 1: 1. Then you need to take small pieces of gauze and soak in this mass. Then they should be put on the eyes. Pollen also helps a lot. It can easily be found in a pharmacy. You can also use honey as drops. To do this, clean the product must be heated in a water bath. Liquid means you can bury your eyes. You can also drink on an empty stomach a glass of drink, which in equal proportions includes honey and apple cider vinegar.
- Pomegranate juice also has a healing property. You can prepare a remedy from it and a large spoon of honey. These ingredients need to be mixed and put on low heat. Boil the mixture for 15 minutes and cool. Means to put on eyes.
- An excellent way to warm the organs of vision is boiled protein.
- Dill seeds are of great benefit . It will take a small spoonful of seeds. They need to pour a glass of boiling water. It is necessary to drink the prepared product daily on a large spoon three times before meals.
- If there is glaucoma in the elderly, how to treat more? Healing herbs can help. Eyes are recommended to be washed with a camomile or nettle.
- You can make a decoction of aloe. To do this, you need a couple of plant leaves and a glass of water. Combine all ingredients and boil. Ready broth must be cooled and filtered. With this tool you can wash your eyes.
Glaucoma treatment: reviews
Many suffer from a neglected type of this ailment, and eye drops no longer help them. Patients share their impressions on how to fix this problem. Some had a choice: laser surgery or surgery. First, doctors advise resorting to laser therapy. This treatment option is not suitable for everyone. Those who are disappointed usually need a second session after six months. The treatment of glaucoma in the elderly is expensive, pensioners are simply not able to constantly give such money for surgery, so they resort to surgical intervention.
Drops prescribed by a doctor help someone. Many in order to avoid aggravation of the disease try to adhere to proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. Some note that folk remedies also help very well, but in any case it is important to consult a doctor regularly.