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Glaucoma Analysis
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Don't
lose sight of glaucoma Information
for people at risk
What
is glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a disease process of
the nerve of your eye. It is associated with certain
risk factors, such as an elevated intra-ocular
eye pressure, a family history of glaucoma, myopia,
hypertension, ethnic differences and eye injuries.
New technologies, such as Opto-Coherent Temography
(OCT) allows rapid and objective measurements of
all the nerve fibers in your eye and is dramatically
changing the way we understand and treat this disease.
Nearly 3 million people have glaucoma, a
leading cause of blindness in the United States.
Although anyone can get glaucoma, some people are
at higher risk. They include:
- Blacks over the age of 40;
- Anyone over the age of 60;
- People with a family history of glaucoma.
What
are the symptoms?
At first, there are no symptoms. Vision stays normal and there is no pain.
However, as the disease progresses, a person with glaucoma may notice his or
her side vision gradually failing. That is, objects in the front may still
be seen clearly, but objects to the side may be missed. As the disease worsens,
the field of vision narrows and blindness results.
Many people may know of the "air puff" test
or other tests to measure eye
pressure in any eye examination.
But this
test alone cannot detect glaucoma.
Glaucoma is found most often during an eye examination through dilated
pupils. This means drops are put into
the eyes during the exam to enlarge
the pupils.
This allows the eye care professional to see more of the inside of the
eye to check for signs of glaucoma.
Although open-angle glaucoma cannot be cured, it can usually be controlled.
The most common treatments are:
- Medications
- These may be either in the form of eyedrops or pills. Some drugs
are designed to reduce pressure by slowing the flow of fluid into the eye.
Others
help to improve fluid drainage.
- For most people with glaucoma, regular use of medications will
control the increased fluid pressure. But these drugs may stop working
over time.
Or they may cause side effects. If a problem occurs, the eye care professional
may select other drugs, change the dose, or suggest other ways to deal
with the problem.
- Laser Surgery During laser surgery, a strong beam of light is focused
on the part of the anterior chamber where the fluid leaves the eye. This
results in a series of small changes, which makes it easier for fluid to
exit the eye.
Over time the effect of laser surgery may wear off. Patients who have this
form of surgery may need to keep taking glaucoma drugs.
Surgery can also help fluid escape from the eye and thereby reduce the pressure.
However, surgery is usually reserved for patients whose pressure cannot
be controlled with eyedrops, pills or laser surgery.
A large amount of research is being done in the U.S. to learn what causes glaucoma
and to improve its diagnosis and treatment. For instance, the National Eye
Institute (NEI) is funding a number of studies to find out what causes fluid
pressure to increase in the eye. By learning more about this process, doctors
may be able to learn the exact cause of the disease and learn better how to
prevent and treat it. The NEI also supports clinical trials of new drugs and
surgical techniques that show promise against glaucoma.
Studies have shown that early detection and treatment of glaucoma, before it
causes major vision loss, is the best way to control the disease. So, if you
fall into one of the high-risk groups for the disease, make sure to have you
eyes examined through dilated pupils every two years by an eye care professional. |
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