Glaucoma
Like high blood pressure, glaucoma is a devious disease - Langis Michaud
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Does Everyone With Glaucoma Go Blind?
“Will I go blind?” is one of the most commonly asked questions by patients newly diagnosed with glaucoma. There was a time not so long ago when the answer to this question was an unqualified “yes”. Being diagnosed with glaucoma in the early 20th century meant that you were going to face eventual blindness.
Effective treatments were not developed until the mid-20th century. Even those worked poorly or were associated with near intolerable side effects until about 40 years ago. Modern medicine has made great strides in both medical and surgical treatment of this condition but we are still far from a cure. Indeed, the best we can currently hope for is to slow down the loss of vision... Like high blood pressure, glaucoma is a devious disease. It is a disease which is considered hereditary, although several other forms may be contracted — for example after surgery or other trauma or due to the side-effects of medication. Without treatment, it is considered a disease that can blind you. If there is a single health issue that has been linked to medical marijuana over the past few decades, it’s the dreaded eye disease known as glaucoma... new evidence has emerged showing that parts of the cannabis plant, specifically cannabidiol (CBD), the non-intoxicating, trendy component, may actually worsen glaucoma symptoms. Medical treatment of glaucoma is evolving to include internal and external drug delivery systems that will ensure patient compliance for long periods. Long-term use of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs cut the risk of a leading cause of blindness. Like high blood pressure, glaucoma is a devious disease - Langis Michaud Vision loss associated with glaucoma is misrepresented on most websites as a black-tunnel effect, leading patients to potentially underestimate symptoms, says a report in the journal Ophthalmology.
Glaucoma is a group of diseases that can damage the optic nerve, causing blindness. Many patients turn to the Internet for information and may be falsely reassured by inaccurate images, researchers said. This could result in a delay in treatment. Theoretically, glaucoma can be managed and vision loss prevented or minimized with early detection and medical treatment to control intraocular pressure. But the most common form, called open-angle glaucoma, progresses so slowly and subtly that symptoms, such as blind spots and reduced peripheral vision, may go unnoticed until the disease has advanced and vision loss is inevitable.
By contrast, angle-closure glaucoma, which accounts for about 10%–15% of glaucoma in the United States, can come on suddenly and painfully and cause vision loss or blindness within hours or days. Glaucoma is often called “the silent thief” of sight because it sneaks up on people. “The scary thing is that so often, there are no symptoms — you may not have eye pain, and you may not notice the loss of side vision initially,” says Tsai. “That’s why the NIH recommends comprehensive eye exams to catch glaucoma even before the patient notices symptoms.” Half of all Americans with glaucoma are not aware of it and remain undiagnosed. Remember, glaucoma is a progressive disease. Early detection and treatment are the only way to prevent glaucoma-related vision impairment and blindness, so make an appointment with your eye doctor today! Hundreds of years ago, Hippocrates, regarded as the father of modern medicine, said “Let your food be thy medicine.” Our grandmothers said pretty much the same thing. Now it appears that even with a leading cause of blindness, this advice is sage indeed. A new eye implant developed in a collaboration between researchers at Stanford and Bar-Ilan University in Israel, may allow people to measure their IOP as often as needed. 1st line med: Timolol (beta blocker). Topical meds can be given simultaneously except for pilocarpine. Pilocarpine is typically not effective until IOP is < 40 mmHg. Effective treatments were not developed until the mid-20th century. Even those worked poorly or were associated with near intolerable side effects until about 40 years ago. Modern medicine has made great strides in both medical and surgical treatment of this condition but we are still far from a cure. Indeed, the best we can currently hope for is to slow down the loss of vision. Most patients with the disease in the UK are given eye drops. These help fluid to drain away more effectively from the eye. They also decrease the amount of liquid made within the eye. However, the eye drops have to be taken every day. By contrast, SLT is a relatively new one-off treatment that can be performed in a hospital out-patient clinic in about 15 minutes. One of the biggest glaucoma-related news stories of 2014 was Bono's revelation that he has the condition. While his comments about it have been brief, there are important tips the public can learn about glaucoma following the rockstar's announcement. Glaucoma Today delivers important information on recent research, surgical techniques, clinical strategies, therapeutics, and technology. The Glaucoma Research Foundation is a national non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure for glaucoma. Founded in 1978 in San Francisco, we fund glaucoma research world-wide. The Pediatric Glaucoma and Cataract Family Association (PGCFA) is an association of parents and professionals dealing with the daily challenges of pediatric glaucoma and cataract. The Foundation works to encourage and support basic and applied research in glaucoma, to gain and disseminate new information about the causes and treatment of glaucoma, and to further efforts to identify and develop novel approaches to preserve visual function and reverse blindness caused by glaucoma. Core purpose...to eliminate glaucoma-related disability worldwide. The mission of the American Glaucoma Society is to promote excellence in the care of patients with glaucoma and preserve or enhance vision by supporting glaucoma specialists and scientists through the advancement of education and research. There are two main forms of glaucoma: open-angle (the most common form, affecting approximately 70 to 95 percent of individuals who have glaucoma) and angle-closure. Both of these can lead to loss of side vision and eventually to complete blindness. There are more than three million Americans living with glaucoma, and an estimated half of them may not know that they have the disease. The Children’s Glaucoma Foundation exists to support programs to benefit children affected by this important cause of childhood blindness. For the last 13 years childhood glaucoma awareness, physician education, and support of basic research programs have been supported. Our focus are the 150,000 people who are completely unaware they have it and are therefore at risk of suffering preventable but irreversible blindness. In particular, we are committed to reaching the relatives of people with glaucoma and motivating them to have early and regular testing, due to the fact you are 10 times more likely to have glaucoma if you have a direct family member with it.
Glaucoma NZ is a charitable trust to eliminate blindness from glaucoma. Glaucoma is the number one preventable cause of blindness in New Zealand. Blindness from glaucoma can be prevented by early detection and appropriate treatment. The GL Foundation for Children with Glaucoma is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is unique among glaucoma organizations in our singular focus on childhood glaucoma, and our dual focus on providing direct assistance to families, and collaborative support for eye care professionals. Because of the complexities of childhood glaucoma, we believe patients and their families, as well as physicians and health care professionals need access to the most effective care and treatment information available. This website is a comprehensive source of up-to-date news and information about glaucoma, and is provided as a free service by the International Glaucoma Association (IGA). Journal of Glaucoma provides a stimulating forum for discussion of clinical, scientific, and socioeconomic issues of greatest concern to clinicians who care for glaucoma patients. Each issue presents original articles on new approaches to diagnosis, innovations in pharmacological therapy and surgical technique, and basic science advances that impact on clinical practice. New Glaucoma Treatments is a GLAUCOMA HealthHub maintained by multi-awarded Glaucoma Eye Doctor in California, Dr. David Richardson, MD. It’s primary purpose is to provide valuable information to glaucoma patients and their caregivers worldwide about the latest developments and treatments for glaucoma, while providing answers to commonly asked questions about glaucoma, care and treatment options.
The story of our war against Congenital Glaucoma. Preventing glaucoma is important if you want to enjoy good vision all your life. The best prevention tool is an annual eye examination. Those under the age of 45 should get their eyes examined every four years, or every two years if they are at higher risk. Glaucoma is sometimes called the “silent thief of
sight” because symptoms are often not apparent
until the condition has damaged most of the optic
nerve fibers. Resources
Glaucoma: Vision’s silent killer New Study Finds Marijuana Component CBD Makes Glaucoma Worse Reshaping medical treatment of glaucoma management Statins May Cut Glaucoma Risk Emergency Management Glaucoma
Glaucoma Vision Loss Is Often Misrepresented Online
"Narrow angles" a tip-off to eyesight risk
Daily Checkup: Glaucoma is a 'silent thief' of eyesight
Don't Let Glaucoma Steal Your Sight!
Foods to help reduce glaucoma risk
Implantable Intraocular Pressure Sensor to Help Monitor Glaucoma
Non-Traumatic Monocular Vision Loss
Does Everyone With Glaucoma Go Blind? 15-minute laser is best treatment for glaucoma patients, says study
4 Things You can Learn About Glaucoma from Bono
Glaucoma Today
Glaucoma Research Foundation
Pediatric Glaucoma and Cataract Family Association
The Glaucoma Foundation
World Glaucoma Association
American Glaucoma Society
BrightFocus Foundation
Children's Glaucoma Foundation
Glaucoma Australia
Glaucoma NZ
Grajewski Lyra (GL) Foundation for Children with Glaucoma
International Glaucoma Association
Journal of Glaucoma
New Glaucoma Treatments
The Eye Wars
EyeHealthWeb
The Ottawa Hospital
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