I have glaucoma and im 21?!
Question: what does this mean for me?
Answers: what does this mean for me?
Pigment dispersion syndrome is not the same as glaucoma. It is a risk factor for glaucoma, meaning you need to keep an eye on it with regular eye exams. The pigment on your iris is rubbed off and clogs up the drainage mechanism of the eye, causing the pressure to increase. I have it too and I'm not particularly worried about it since I get regular exams.
well good luck
You can smoke the erbal remedies legally
It means it could be inherited. Does anyone in your family have glaucoma? Age is just a number. I understand most young people are afraid of baldness... of diseases that may affect the fun and vibrant/daily activities they do with other young adults.
Remember, it's not the end of the world... it's how you deal with it that matters. There's no point hiding your insecurities. Be content and confident in who you are.
The treatment of glaucoma is aimed at reducing intraocular pressure by improving aqueous outflow, reducing the production of aqueous, or both. Doctors accomplish these treatment goals with eyedrops, systemic medications, laser treatment, surgery, or a combination of treatments.
If your doctor determines that you have elevated intraocular pressure , an excavated optic disk and loss of visual field, you'll likely be treated for glaucoma. If you have only slightly elevated eye pressure, an undamaged optic nerve and no visual field loss, you may not need treatment, but your doctor may advise more frequent examinations to detect any future changes. If you have signs of optic nerve damage and visual field loss, even if your eye pressure is in the normal range, you may need treatment to lower eye pressure further, which may help slow the progression of glaucoma.
Glaucoma can't be cured, and damage caused by the disease can't be reversed. But with treatment, glaucoma can be controlled. Eyedrops, oral medications and surgical procedures can prevent or slow further damage.
Lifelong treatment
Having glaucoma means you'll need to continue treatment for the rest of your life. Because the disease can progress or change without your being aware of it, your treatment may need to be adjusted over time. Regular checkups and adherence to a treatment plan may seem burdensome, but they're essential to prevent vision loss.
Keeping your eye pressure under control can prevent further damage to the optic nerve and continued loss of your visual field. Your eye doctor may focus on lowering your intraocular pressure to a level that's unlikely to cause further optic nerve damage. This level is often referred to as the target pressure and will probably be a range rather than a single number. Target pressure differs for each person, depending on the extent of the damage and other factors. Your target pressure may change over the course of your lifetime.
Topical eye medications are the most common early treatment for glaucoma. Reducing the pressure in the eyes has been shown to reduce the progression of visual field loss. Standard practice has been to move on to surgery if medications are ineffective or if the glaucoma patient has difficulty in adhering to the medical therapy recommendations. However, surgery is also a relatively safe and effective initial treatment.
Eyedrops
Glaucoma treatment often starts with medicated eyedrops. Doctors prescribe several types of drops. Be sure to use the drops exactly as prescribed to control your intraocular pressure . Skipping even a few doses can cause damage to the optic nerve to worsen. Some drops need to be applied several times each day, and others must be used just once a day. Inform your doctor of all other medications you're taking, to avoid any undesirable drug interactions.
Because some of the eyedrops are absorbed into your bloodstream, you may experience side effects unrelated to your eyes. To minimize this absorption, close your eyes for one to two minutes after putting the drops in. Press lightly at the corner of your eye near your nose to close the tear duct, and wipe off any unused drops from your eyelid. Your doctor may prescribe more than one type of eyedrop. If you're using more than one, ask your doctor how long to wait between applications.
The types of eyedrops that doctors most commonly prescribe include:
Beta blockers. These reducethe production of aqueous humor. Examples include levobunolol (Betagan), timolol (Betimol, Timoptic), carteolol (Ocupress), betaxolol (Betoptic) and metipranolol (OptiPranolol). Possible side effects include difficulty breathing, slowed pulse, hair loss, lower blood pressure, impotence, fatigue, weakness, depression and memory loss. If you have asthma, bronchitis or emphysema or if you have diabetes and use insulin, medications other than beta blockers may be recommended because beta blockers may worsen breathing problems.
Alpha-adrenergic agents. These reduce the production of aqueous humor. Examples includeapraclonidine (Iopidine) and brimonidine (Alphagan). Possible side effects include fatigue, dizziness, red, itchy or swollen eyes, dry mouth and allergic reactions.
Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors. These medications, which include dorzolamide (Trusopt) and brinzolamide (Azopt), reducethe amount of aqueous humor. Possible side effects include frequent urination and a tingling sensation in the fingers and toes, but these occur more frequently when a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor is taken orally. If you have an allergy or sensitivity to sulfa drugs, don't use these medications unless there's no alternative.
Prostaglandin analogues. These eyedrops increase theoutflow of aqueous humor. These hormone-like substances, which include latanoprost (Xalatan), bimatoprost (Lumigan) and travoprost (Travatan), may be used in conjunction with a drug that reduces production of aqueous humor. There has been a trend away from using these agents as a first line therapy for glaucoma. Possible side effects include mild reddening and stinging of the eyes and darkening of the iris, changes in the pigment of the eyelid skin, and blurred vision from swelling of the retina.
Miotics. Miotics, such as pilocarpine (Isopto Carpine, Pilocar), increase the outflow of aqueous humor. Possible side effects include pain around or inside the eyes, brow ache, blurred or dim vision, nearsightedness, allergic reactions, a stuffy nose, sweating, increased salivation, and occasional digestive problems.
Epinephrine compounds. These also increasethe outflow of aqueous humor. Possible side effects include red eyes, allergic reactions, palpitations, an increase in blood pressure, headache and anxiety.
Oral medications
If eyedrops alone don't bring your eye pressure down to the desired level, your doctor may also prescribe an oral medication. Doctors commonly prescribe carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, such as acetazolamide and methazolamide, for glaucoma. Take these pills with meals to reduce side effects. You can help to minimize the potassium loss that these medications can cause by adding bananas and apple juice to your diet.
When you first start taking these oral medications, you may experience a frequent need to urinate and a tingling sensation in your fingers and toes. After several days, these symptoms usually disappear. Other possible side effects of carbonic anhydrase inhibitors include rashes, depression, fatigue, kidney stones, lethargy, stomach upset, a metallic taste in carbonated beverages, impotence and weight loss.
Neuroprotective drugs
Lowering the intraocular pressure provides only a partial solution when it comes to preserving vision in people with glaucoma. Several clinical trials are under way to learn if certain drugs may help protect the optic nerve from damage associated with glaucoma. Some are investigating the potential neuroprotective effects of brimonidine (Alphagan), a topical eye medication that may already be prescribed for glaucoma. Another is investigating the potential neuroprotective effect of memantine, an oral medication generally used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
Surgery
You may need surgery to treat glaucoma if you can't tolerate medications or if they're ineffective. Doctors use several types of surgery to treat glaucoma:
Laser surgery. In the last couple of decades, a procedure called trabeculoplasty (truh-BEK-u-lo-plas-te) has been used increasingly in the treatment of open-angle glaucoma. The doctor uses a high-energy laser beam to shrink part of the trabecular meshwork, which causes other parts of the meshwork to stretch and open up. This helps aqueous humor drain more easily from the eye.
This type of laser surgery is an office procedure that takes 10 to 20 minutes. You'll be given an anesthetic eyedrop, seated at a slit lamp and fitted with a special lens on your eye. The doctor aims the laser through the lens at the trabecular meshwork and applies burns to it. You will see bright flashes of light.
Usually, you can immediately resume normal activities without discomfort. The doctor will usually check your eye pressure one to two hours after the procedure and several times in the following weeks. It may take a few weeks before the full effect of the surgery becomes apparent.
In almost all cases, laser surgery for glaucoma initially lowers intraocular pressure. After time, however, intraocular pressure may begin to increase.
Conventional surgery. If eyedrops and laser surgery aren't effective in controlling your eye pressure, you may need an operation called a filtering procedure, usually in the form of a trabeculectomy (truh-bek-u-LEK-tuh-me). This procedure is done in a hospital or an outpatient surgery center.
You'll receive medication to help you relax and eyedrops and usually an injection of anesthetic to numb your eye. Using delicate instruments under an operating microscope, your surgeon creates an opening in the sclera