Question
My mother recently has been complaining about her eyesight decreasing, finding it hard to see things clearly. It’s more difficult for her to read books or newspapers in the morning before bed, and everything seems blurry. Additionally, she has experienced acidness and pain at the root of her nose and in the front of her eye sockets and forehead. At night, when looking at lights, she sees colorful halos, like the sky after the rain, with a rainbow appearing. I searched online and it said it might be elderly glaucoma. Is that correct? Can it be cured?
Answer
Elderly glaucoma can be differentiated into congenital and acquired types. It is caused by disharmony in organs, imbalance in endocrine secretion, and the accumulation of pathological products in the eye over time, leading to relatively low (low intraocular pressure) or absolute (high intraocular pressure) intraocular pressure. The main clinical manifestations are eye pain, blurred vision, decreased vision, and even dizziness, headache, nausea, and vomiting. In Western medicine, the treatment for glaucoma, whether congenital or acquired, generally includes medication and surgical treatment. Glaucoma cannot be cured on its own; it can only be controlled. This means that once diagnosed with glaucoma, there is a need for regular and lifelong care.