Huang Ophthalmology Center Inc.
650 W. Duarte Rd., Suite 100-D
Arcadia, CA 91007
ph: 626-446-6682
fax: 626-447-6680
huangoph
What is Glaucoma:
Much like your blood pressure, you eye has pressure too. When this intraocular pressure (IOP) exceeds its healthy pressure level, it would damage the optic nerve. This can result in decreased peripheral vision and if left untreated can eventually lead to blindness. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the US because only half of the people know they have it while the others are left untreated. Generally, there are no pain nor signs that one is developing glaucoma until vision loss starts occurring, which is why for people who are 50 years and older, it is important to have annual eye examinations. Your ophthalmologist can detect and diagnose high IOP before it progresses to optic nerve damage and vision loss.
Population of People Having Higher Risk Of Glaucoma:
- People over the age of 60 years old
- If your immediate family members (such a parent, grandparents, brother or sister) have glaucoma, you have an increased risk of developing it.
- Asians have an increased risk for angle-closure glaucoma, while Japanese people are at higher risk for normal-tension glaucoma.
- Diabetics
- Steroid users: Asthma patients who require 15-35 puffs of steroid inhaler tend to have higher incidence of open-angle glaucoma.
- People who have traumatic injury to their eyes may develop glaucoma immediately or many years later.
- High myopia or nearsightedness
- African-Americans
- Hispanics especially in older age groups. Glaucoma increases among Hispanics over the age of 60.
There are two main types of glaucoma: Open-Angle Glaucoma and Angle-Closure Glaucoma. It can occur in either eyes or both eyes.
Chronic or Open-Angle Glaucoma, the most common form of glaucoma is often referred to as “the silent thief of sight” because there are no warning signs that there is anything wrong with your vision. It develops slowly and without noticeable loss of sight. Because the visual acuity remains the same and only the peripheral or side vision is lost, most patients are not aware they have glaucoma until it is quite advanced. It is only when patients start bumping or tripping into tables or objects that are to the side of them that they start realizing that something maybe wrong. This form of glaucoma happens when the eyes drainage system becomes blocked which subsequently creates a rise in the IOP. Your peripheral vision would gradually unnoticeably decrease. By the time you notice it, permanent damage may have already occurred. If left untreated your IOP would remain high and the destruction would progress until tunnel vision develops where you will only be able to see objects that are straight ahead.
How Often Should I Get My Eyes Checked If Diagnosed With Open-Angle Glaucoma:
Once diagnosed with glaucoma, your ophthalmologist may request to see you once every few weeks or month until they get the eye pressure under control. Once the eye pressure is at a safe level, they may then request to have you see them every 6 months to a year.
Angle-Closure Glaucoma or Closed Angle Glaucoma occurs when the fluid inside your eyes rises rapidly. The population most affected are:
- Chinese or Asian descent because anatomically, they have a narrower anterior chamber. If your immediate family member such as your mother, father, grandparents or siblings have closed angle glaucoma, you are in high risk as you may have inherited an eye shape that may make you a high candidate of glaucoma.
- Older people because as people grow older, the lens in their eyes gets larger and increases the risk for pupil blockage
- Female Caucasians occur three times more than men. For African-American, both men and women are equally effected.
Unlike open-angle glaucoma, closed-angle glaucoma patients experience very noticeable symptoms. It produces sudden symptoms such as severe eye pain or headache accompanied by nausea, blurred vision, halos around lights, dilated pupils, red eyes or vision loss. Many times these symptoms are similar to migraines and thus can be misconstrued as such. Unlike migraines, these signs may last for hours or until the IOP is lowered. With closed-angle glaucoma, the iris is not as wide open as it should be, which causes the trabecular meshwork to be obstructed or damaged. Much like a clogged sink, when the fluid is not flowing out of your eye, the backed-up fluid increases the pressure within your eyeball. With each narrow-angle glaucoma attack, a part of the peripheral vision may be lost permanently, therefore a closed-angle glaucoma is considered an emergency.
Currently there are no cures for glaucoma, however there are several treatments that can prevent further or stop vision loss by controlling the number one risk factor of glaucoma – high levels of IOP (intraocular pressure). In most patients, the primary method of controlling high unsafe levels of IOP is thru eye drops. Sometimes it requires several medications that complement each other to reduce the pressure adequately. Laser therapy and surgery are only used when medication treatment fails to lower the pressure to a healthy pressure. The objective of any of these glaucoma procedures is to allow the fluid to drain from the eye more efficiently.
Copyright 2009 Huang Ophthalmology Center Inc.. All rights reserved.
Huang Ophthalmology Center Inc.
650 W. Duarte Rd., Suite 100-D
Arcadia, CA 91007
ph: 626-446-6682
fax: 626-447-6680
huangoph