Submitted by Middlesex Eye Physicians, PE.
Editor’s note: This is part 6 of an 8-part series submitted by Middlesex Eye Physicians.
Billy Joel songs aside, we are here to inform you about pressure and to support you in maintaining healthy intraocular pressure in your visionary eyes!
As I sat down to write this article, I was watching one of our ophthalmologists get ready to go outside to do a “drive up IOP.” This means our doctor comes to the car and checks the patient’s eye pressure in order to monitor; perhaps they just had a procedure or are using a new medication, so pressures need to be checked more frequently. How nice to sit in your car and order up a pressure check!
Our eyes constantly produce aqueous humor which flows in and drains out of the eye all day long. The drainage angles are the mechanism through which the aqueous humor is drained. When the eye can no longer drain effectively, pressure builds up in the eye and causes optic nerve damage. This nerve is like an electrical cable made up of many fibers; damage causes blind spots. If high pressure continues and nerve fibers die, a person will eventually become blind.
If the cause of glaucoma is blocked drainage angles, this is called narrow-angle or angle-closure glaucoma. Acute angle-closure glaucoma can present as the following symptoms: vision is suddenly blurry, severe eye pain, a headache, feeling sick to your stomach (nausea), vomiting, seeing rainbow-colored rings or halos around lights. If this happens to you, seek an ophthalmologist IMMEDIATELY! In addition, there are open-angle, low-pressure, pigment dispersion, and pseudo-exfoliation glaucoma diagnoses. Glaucoma is often called the silent thief of vision due to symptoms not being obvious in daily life. This is where regular exams are a huge benefit to patients. So, who is at risk?
Higher risk patients may have the following characteristics: over 40 years old, a family history of glaucoma, African/Asian or Hispanic in heritage, nearsighted or farsighted, previous eye injury, higher pressure in the eyes, a thin cornea, some optic nerve thinning, long-term use of steroid medications, diabetes/migraines/sleep apnea/poor blood circulation or other whole body health problems.
The good news is you are not alone; you’ll have vision and see all you can see!
With routine exams and current treatments, the majority of patients can maintain normal eye pressure and protect their eyesight! Many eyedrops, usually used once or twice a day, can help lower eye pressure. These include Timolol, Latanoprost, Lumigan, Vyzulta, Combigan, Alphagan, Betimol, Betaxolol, Rocklatan, Rhopressa, and Cosopt. These drops are in two categories: some improve the drainage in the eye, and others reduce the amount of fluid the eye makes. There is an injectable medication that can last for 3-12 months and eliminates the daily drops. Furthermore, there are laser and surgical procedures that open angles, widen angles, or alter other vital areas of the eye that allow for the drainage of aqueous humor, causing reduction in pressure.
PRESSURE: make those eye exams, listen to your doctor, make sure to “listen” to your eyes/body for signs of trouble and don’t wait to see the doctor when this occurs. If you are at risk for glaucoma, or have been diagnosed as having glaucoma, you may want to choose an ophthalmologist who specializes in this.
