Posts Tagged ‘eye disease’

What Is Open Angle Glaucoma?

Friday, March 13th, 2009

eye disease

If you are serious about the health of your eyes, then you should make sure that you see your optical doctor on a regular basis. Making sure that you have regular optical exam, for example your yearly exam for glaucoma, will go a long way towards insuring that you keep your vision. Open angle glaucoma affects more than 80 percent of the people that contract glaucoma. Glaucoma is an eye disease that can be cured if found in the early stages.

There are other types of glaucoma but open angle is the one that affects the eyesight of most people. The sad fact is that there are more than 3 million Americans who have glaucoma but are not aware of it yet, based on statistical research. Glaucoma works by damaging the optic nerve through pressure in the eye or decreasing the blood supply to the optic nerve. If it is caught early enough by scheduling eye exams, then glaucoma can be arrested, and a person’s vision can be saved. However, any damage that glaucoma has caused up to that point is not fixable. The people who are most at risk of contracting glaucoma are black people, people over 40, or anyone that has a history of glaucoma in their family.

Open angle glaucoma is one of the most common forms of glaucoma and also one of the most treatable. The problem with glaucoma is that there are generally no symptoms other than a gradual loss of vision. Unfortunately, this loss of vision is many times not obvious to the person who has contracted glaucoma. The reason for this is the other eye will generally pick up the slack for the eye that is being affected by glaucoma. If both eyes happen to have glaucoma, then they’re both working in conjunction with each other and it is harder to be aware that there is any loss of sight. This type of glaucoma starts by affecting the peripheral vision. If left untreated it will eventually cause a person to have something called tunnel vision, which means they will not be able to see anything out of the sides of their eyes.

Open angle glaucoma is the most common form of glaucoma. Glaucoma is at once the most treatable disease of the eyes, as well as the one that causes the most cases of blindness. This is a sad fact that does not have to continue. If people make sure that they have regular eye exams, then glaucoma would not be able to do all of the damage that it does.

Popularity: 22% [?]

Technorati Tags: , , , ,

Narrow Angle Glaucoma Symptoms

Thursday, March 12th, 2009

narrow angle glaucoma

Narrow angle glaucoma is a rare form of glaucoma and comes on rapidly. It usually constitutes a trip to the emergency room. The sudden pressure that is created in the eye causes intense pain. This type of glaucoma is hard to ignore, so the person who contracts it has a better chance of saving their vision as they will need to be seen by a doctor immediately.

Glaucoma is a term given to a group of different eye diseases that affect many people in the world today. Glaucoma is the number one cause of blindness in the world and narrow angle is the rarest type. The only good part about contracting it is that it is hard to ignore. Normally, glaucoma is not realized by the patient because there are no symptoms. This is bad because if it is not diagnosed by a doctor it can cause a lot of damage and eventually blindness. However, narrow angle comes on suddenly and causes intense pain. However, this type of glaucoma is a serious condition and if not treated immediately, it has the possibility of causing blindness in three to five days. Most of the time the symptoms are not able to be ignored because there are so painful, so those afflicted will seek treatment.

Narrow angle glaucoma comes on very quickly and very severely. The symptoms are very difficult to ignore, which means that the patient is very likely to get immediate treatment. This is important considering once the symptoms start, blindness can occur within three to five days, if the patient is not treated. Symptoms include inflammation and pain, pressure, pupil dilation that is not reactive to light, corneas that are cloudy, blurred vision, sensitivity to light, seeing halos around lights and nausea. This rare type of glaucoma can be caused by a problem with the structure of the eye, certain injected or oral medications, a blow to the eye and diabetes. The pain and discomfort that is caused by these extreme symptoms cannot be ignored, and will cause any person to seek a professional doctor. This is good considering that this type of glaucoma needs immediate treatment or the chance of blindness is very high. The eye surgeon will treat this disease by creating a hole in the iris with a laser to help restore fluid flow to the front of the eye. This relieves the high-pressure that has built up, thus saving eyesight.

Narrow angle glaucoma is one of the rare forms of glaucoma, but is a quick acting eye disease. It can destroy vision in five days or less if not treated. The only good news is that the symptoms that come with it are so hard to ignore that anyone would seek treatment in time to save their sight.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Technorati Tags: , ,

Taking A Look At The Treatments Of Glaucoma Eye Disease

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009

eye health information

No one wants to get an eye disease, but unfortunately it can happen, yet glaucoma is a disease that can be treated. Catching the development as early as possible is the best way to get successful treatment for glaucoma. This is why regular eye examinations are crucial to the health of your eyes.

Glaucoma is really the term given to four different but similar diseases of the eyes. All of the different types of glaucoma do basically the same thing; they increase pressure in the eyes. All of the different treatments for this eye disease are aimed at reducing this high-pressure. This is not to say that pressure in the eyes will always cause glaucoma, but once glaucoma has developed, the high-pressure will speed up the process. Some of the different treatments of glaucoma include eyedrops, medication and surgery. The fact that more and more eye health information is readily available to the public about glaucoma and the damage that it can do to eyes, means that treatment will be more widespread and successful.

Once a person has been diagnosed with glaucoma, it is important for them to begin immediate treatment. The first line of defense in treating glaucoma is medicated eyedrops. The medications in the drops can consist of beta blockers, prostaglandins, alpha-stimulators, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, miotics and epinephrine. Doctors will only move onto oral medications if the eyedrops do not work effectively. Oral medications for glaucoma treatment have a high percentage of side effects, which is why doctors like to try the medicated eyedrops first. If all else fails, then surgery is a last resort. A glaucoma patient could either receive traditional surgery or laser surgery; it will depend on what their doctor thinks is best. The main goal of surgery is to reduce the pressure in the eyes.

The three main treatments for glaucoma have a high success rate, if it is caught in a timely manner. This is the reason why regular medical checkups and eye exams are so crucial to a person’s well-being. If glaucoma is allowed to progress, then it will eventually cause blindness, yet if caught early, then it can be stopped.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Technorati Tags: , , ,

Taking Care Of Your Eyes To Avoid Glaucoma

Saturday, February 28th, 2009

health care

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, and many people believe this to be true. So why then do so many people not get regular exams to check their vision? Taking care of our vision health should be one of our first concerns. Many infections and vision problems can easily be fixed if discovered by a doctor in the early stages.

Many people seem to forget about their optical system as part of their health care regime, and do nothing to take care of their vision until there is a problem. Then they are quick to make an appointment with a doctor about their eye health issues. The problem with that is that there are some diseases that are not able to be reversed, so whatever damage has been done up until that point is not fixable. Glaucoma is one such disease. If glaucoma is caught as soon as it starts, then a doctor is able to stop it and vision can be saved. However, if glaucoma is left untreated it will eventually cause a person to go blind. Prevention is the best solution, so putting that important eye exam on your health appointment list is very important if you want updated eye health information.

The eyes are usually the last part of the body that people seem to think about when they have regular physical exams. This seems rather odd if you consider that many people rate vision as the best of the five senses, and think that going blind is the worst thing that could happen to them. Many times people don’t think about a visit to the eye doctor until there is a problem at hand. This is not a good way to keep your vision health because some diseases can cause irreparable damage. Glaucoma is one eye diseases that can cause damage without a person being aware that they have it. The best way to protect yourself is to make sure that you have regular check ups.

Do yourself a favor and make sure that you take your health seriously. As we age, we are all going to need to do this, as things in our body start to break down. Scheduling regular visits to your doctors and especially to a vision doctor to check the health of your eyes is crucial.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Technorati Tags: , , , ,

A Very Serious Eye Disease Is Acute Glaucoma

Thursday, February 26th, 2009

eye disease

The eyes are sensitive organs that can be prone to many health issues. Acute glaucoma affects the eyes and is a very serious health concern. Glaucoma can be a very sneaky disease, in that many people are not aware that they have it. This means that it is very important for anyone to make sure they have regular eye exams. This will help, in the event that glaucoma is in its early stages.

There are four types of glaucoma, but acute glaucoma is different in that it can develop suddenly and do serious damage in a short amount of time. It usually works by causing pressure to be increased within the eye. Generally, this happens slowly and the person is not aware of what is going on. In this type of glaucoma the pressure increases suddenly and this increase in pressure is very painful. The pain can become so intense that it can make a person vomit and even lose consciousness. This is very serious and usually requires a trip to the emergency room. An eye doctor needs to be consulted immediately and if treatment is delayed, then eyesight can be permanently destroyed.

Acute glaucoma is extremely serious; however, if there is any positive aspect to this disease, then that would have to be that with this type there is immediate knowledge that a problem is present. With other forms of glaucoma, many times the individual has no idea that they have this eye disease. The other eye picks up the slack in a sense, and this allows a person to go on without having any idea of the damage that is being done. If this damage is not discovered in a timely manner, then the person can eventually go blind. The bad part about glaucoma, aside from the fact that is a insidious, is the fact that once the damage is done it cannot be reversed. So it is imperative to discover glaucoma as early as possible. Many of the glaucoma attacks occur when a person is under stress or in a darkened room. In the dark and when under stress, the pupils dilate, which causes greater contact between the eyes lens and the iris. There are some drugs that can cause pupils to dilate and bring on an attack, such as anti-depressants, antihistamines, nausea medications and some cold medications.

If you must contract glaucoma then perhaps acute glaucoma would be one of the best forms to have. Although the pain may be intense, while other forms of glaucoma are usually not painful, the pain will alert you that there is a problem. This will cause you to go to the doctor and get treated for glaucoma before it causes you to go blind.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Technorati Tags: , ,

You And Eye Diseases

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

eye infections

No one wants to get eye diseases but it can happen to anyone. If you listen to health news, then you will understand that there are many different issues that can affect the eyes. The only way that you can help yourself is to make sure that you are following a healthy lifestyle. This is not a guarantee that you will never get sick, but it is a step in the right direction.

There’s so many diseases that can affect the eyes that it is hard to keep track of them all. Luckily, there are trained professionals, such as eye doctors, who are specialized in this area. Sometimes eye problems can happen due to eyestrain or a person not taking care of their eyes correctly, yet there are others who are genetically predisposed. Open angle glaucoma and angle closure glaucoma, cataracts, dry eye, pink eye and eye infections are some of the many things that can affect just about anyone. Some diseases are curable and some are not. There are some that can be stopped in their tracks and stopped from advancing, and there are some diseases that can be reversed totally. If you are having any type of eye trouble, then you need to have an eye exam and determine what your specific condition is. Once determined by an eye specialist, you will gain the knowledge of how to take care of whatever eye health issue you have.

Glaucoma and cataracts are two very serious types of eye diseases. These are the two main diseases that come to mind for most people when they think about diseases having to do with the eyes. While not every eye disease that you can contract is serious and can cause blindness, some can be very annoying and irritating. The good news is that with regular eye exams and taking care of your health, any disease or infection can usually be eradicated totally in a short matter of time. There are some eye problems that cannot be taken care of quickly or easily, and early detection is the key to having the best results. If you’re going to need to have any type of surgery on your eyes, then you’ll want to know that as early as possible, so the surgery can be successful.

Taking care of your body and your eyes should be your first priority in life. Eyesight is considered one of the top rated of the five senses, and you don’t want any eye diseases destroying your vision. Making sure that you get regular eye examinations is the first offense and the best defense against any type of eye problem.

Popularity: 30% [?]

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , , , ,