Cataracts and glaucoma are eye diseases that lead to visual impairment and require immediate treatment. The symptoms of these diseases are very similar in many respects, so you can often hear the question: "What is the difference between glaucoma and cataracts, and how to treat them?"
Definition of cataracts and glaucoma
Despite some similarities, glaucoma and cataracts are 2 different diseases.
In medicine, cataract is a pathology that is characterized by clouding of a small part or the entire lens. As a result of such changes, the quality of vision decreases. If untreated, partial or total blindness may occur.
Glaucoma is an ophthalmic disease in which the optic nerve fibers die. The result is a gradual visual impairment that can lead to complete blindness.
Causes of disease
Considering the question of how glaucoma differs from cataracts, it should begin with the causes of the onset of diseases.
Among the main reasons for the development of cataracts, doctors call age-related changes in the human body. Such a diagnosis is made by 15% of people who have reached 50-60 years. In the age group of 60-80 years, cataracts are found in 40% of people. After 80 years, clouding of the lens at one stage or another is present in almost every person. In addition, the disease can develop as a result of eye burns, a dose of radiation or high insolation, and some serious infectious diseases. Cataracts can also be congenital.
As for glaucoma, doctors cannot name the exact reasons for its development. The list of possible risk factors includes intraocular pressure, lack of blood supply and high blood pressure. Such a pathology can occur at any age.
Symptoms of Glaucoma
Signs of glaucoma and cataracts have some similarities, but there are differences in these visual pathologies.
One of the features of glaucoma is slow development. In some cases, vision may gradually deteriorate over 10-15 years. In the list of main symptoms:
- rapid onset of eye fatigue - it can occur even if the person slept well;
- the appearance of fog in front of the eyes;
- the appearance of colored circles when looking at light sources;
- redness of the eyes;
- pain and pain in the eyes, which can give to the head;
- visual impairment;
- excessive dilatation of the pupil;
- lack of response to light (in a healthy person, in bright light, the pupil narrows).
Symptoms of Cataract
As in the case of the death of the optic nerve, clouding of the lens provokes a change in the quality of vision, but this manifests itself in a slightly different way. Unlike glaucoma, cataracts are characterized by the following symptoms:
- a feeling of fog before the eyes;
- difficulties with color recognition;
- the lack of clear contours of the picture, a split shape (glasses with diopters in this case do not solve the problem);
- hypersensitivity to light;
- the development of myopia (a person can hardly see objects located at a distant distance, and sees well near).
The simultaneous development of cataracts and glaucoma
According to medical statistics, these two ophthalmic diseases can develop in parallel. In such cases, most often one pathology occurs as a complication of another. In such patients, there are symptoms of two diseases at a different stage.
This feature largely explains the reason that with cataracts, excessive dilated pupil, pain and pain, and eye fatigue may appear. Without a thorough diagnosis, it is almost impossible to make a correct diagnosis. Moreover, this is one of the reasons why many do not see the difference between cataract and glaucoma.
Consequences of diseases
Talking about how glaucoma and eye cataract are different, one more extremely important point should be taken into account. Clouding of the lens is considered a very serious pathology, but doctors were able to find a solution to this problem. Proper treatment (including surgery) will help restore vision even with the onset of blindness.
Glaucoma is characterized by irreversible processes in the body. So, the dead fibers of the optic nerve cannot be restored, which means that it will not be possible to return the lost vision to a person. Glaucoma treatment comes down to blocking the further progression of the disease.
Drug treatment
The identification of these pathologies in the early stages of development allows the use of drug therapy for correction. In this case, the drugs in one and the other cases will be different - this is another reason why you need to know how glaucoma and cataract are different.
To maintain the correct functions of the lens and slow down its further clouding, doctors recommend vitamin-containing drugs for nutrition and tissue repair. Eye drops are often prescribed:
- “Taufon”;
- Quinax
- Oftan Katahrom.
To stop the development of glaucoma, drugs are required that reduce intraocular pressure. Among them:
- Xalatan
- “Betoptic”;
- “Fotil”.
An incorrect diagnosis can lead to the appointment of an incorrect treatment for glaucoma and cataracts. This will not only not give positive results, but also worsen the condition of the patient. In the case of glaucoma, this is especially dangerous. It is for this reason that doctors extremely do not recommend choosing drugs on their own.
Surgical intervention
In the later stages of the lens opacity, the use of drugs will be ineffective. In this case, surgery is used to correct vision. During this procedure, the damaged lens is replaced with a graft, which contributes to the complete restoration of the visual functions of the eye. It is noteworthy that such a transplantation can be performed at any stage (even in the case of complete loss of vision).
What is the difference between glaucoma and cataract in this case? Disorder of the optic nerve can not always be corrected with surgery. Moreover, surgery can only help stop the progression of the disease. All already existing visual defects will remain with the patient for life. In the case of the development of complete blindness caused by glaucoma, doctors will not be able to help the patient even with the use of surgery.
Given all of the above features of the disease, it becomes clear that glaucoma and cataracts cause serious visual impairment and may have similar symptoms. Moreover, the causes of these diseases are completely different, which requires an individual approach to the choice of treatment. A person far from medicine does not need to know the characteristics and characteristics of these diseases. The only thing to remember: self-medication is highly discouraged. Instead, you should contact the clinic as soon as possible for any visual impairment.