Sports Injuries And Glaucoma: What You Need To Know About Traumatic Glaucoma

Health & Medical Blog

If you're young and athletic, and you enjoy sports, you're probably not worrying about developing glaucoma. You may think glaucoma is a condition that only happens to older people. However, playing sports can result in trauma to the eyes and lead to the development of traumatic glaucoma.

Perhaps you've already experienced an eye injury while playing baseball or another sport in the past. The injury healed and your eyes seem fine now. However, traumatic glaucoma can occur suddenly or show up years following an injury to the eye.

What causes traumatic glaucoma?

Blunt type injuries or injuries that penetrate the eye can cause the pressures inside the eye to become elevated. However, most cases of traumatic glaucoma occur as the result of blunt trauma directly to the eye or from a head injury.

Blunt trauma can occur while participating in any sport where you suffer a blow to the head or a direct hit to the eye. For instance, being hit in the eye by a baseball, being punched in the eye during a boxing match, or having an opponent's elbow strike your eye during a wrestling match are examples of blunt injuries.

Symptoms of traumatic glaucoma

Many people do not even know they have glaucoma in the early stages of the condition. As the disease progresses, you may notice changes in your vision. You may feel as if your vision is cloudy or parts of your visual field may be distorted. You may see halos around lights. You may also experience eye pain.

What to do if you suffer an eye injury

If you suffer a blow to the eye or head while playing sports, you should always be evaluated by a doctor. Early treatment is vital to protect your future eyesight. Even if the trauma to the eye appears minor, injury can occur inside the eye that can lead to elevated eye pressures.

Treatments for traumatic glaucoma

Many cases of traumatic glaucoma clear up without further complications when treated properly. Glaucoma medications are typically used until the fluid levels in the eyes return to normal. Corticosteroid therapy and treatment with antibiotics is often used in cases of penetrating eye injuries. In some instances, surgery is required to relieve the pressure inside the eye.

You will need regular eye exams once the traumatic glaucoma clears up. Some injuries can cause scarring inside the eye. This scarring blocks the normal flow of fluid in the eye and can lead to the development of angle recession glaucoma that appears years after the injury.

How to prevent traumatic glaucoma

Participating in sports is never without risk of injury. That doesn't mean you need to give up the sports you love. Being careful and taking precautions to wear protective helmets to prevent blunt trauma to the head is important.

Treat all injuries to the head or eyes seriously, no matter how minor they seem. Seek proper medical attention and be diligent about keeping follow-up appointments.

If you love playing sports, you shouldn't let the fear of developing traumatic glaucoma stop you. Knowing what traumatic glaucoma is and knowing what you need to do if you suffer an eye or head injury is important. Being well informed, before an injury occurs, will help keep you in the game of good eye health. For more information, talk to a professional like Coastal Eye Care.

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26 October 2015

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