MEDICINE AND HEALTH

Medicine and Health

Medicine and Health

Introduction

Generally, glaucoma is an eye disease involving damage to the optic nerve, which sends visual signals to the brain. When the optic nerve gets damaged, the brain does not receive all the signals that are being sent. No one knows exactly what causes this damage, but pressure build-up in the eye is proven to be one of the major risk factors associated with glaucoma. This can result in a gradual loss of vision and, if not managed properly, can lead to blindness (Schwartz 2007, p.39). With early detection and your commitment to following a treatment program recommended by your doctor, your vision may be preserved.

Something that makes this disease different from others is that, in most affected individuals there have been no symptoms in the early stages of the disease when they occur. The resultant disease usually creates visual field defects and vision loss. The appearance of these symptoms may mean that the disease is in an advanced stage of its development. There are different types of glaucoma and most common are; chronic glaucoma and acute glaucoma. It is unusual that there is eye pain in chronic glaucoma, but is common in acute glaucoma (angle-closure glaucoma), which if severe can cause symptoms from the beginning.

Article - 01: “Patients' experience of living with glaucoma: a phenomenological study” by Pei-Xia Wu, Wen-Yi Guo, Hai-Ou Xia, Hui-Juan Lu & Shu-Xin Xi

This article defines the experiences of patients of glaucoma and how they live their life with the disease along with this describes strategies they adopt to somehow overcome the limitations caused by the disorder. The article can be considered as a stepping stone towards finding different ways to live with the developed glaucoma in a patient. According to this research, this can be done through; seeking medical support, dealing with everyday activities, living with future uncertainties and adapting to the declined way of life. For the research, 14 patients of this particular disease were selected for individual based detailed interviews, and another 10 were selected to be interviewed in the form of two groups. These interviewees were hired from a specialized eye hospital of Shanghai. However, the participants of the research belonged to a specific ethnic group which was “Han”.

The research could have become more authentic if it had included participants from different ethnic groups (Ritch 2007, p.25). The problem with considering a single ethnic group is that it involves an inheritance factor into the mix. The research approach that has been used in this research paper is hermeneutical phenomenological approach. This approach considers the most general facts of social life to define an action. In other words, this approach considers the previous taken actions to define the newer ones. The facts and figures in the research show that the disease has no age barrier. The patients of the disease involved a mix of young adult to old aged persons. The participants tried their best to share their experiences to cope with the ...