Glaucoma Awareness Month

January is Glaucoma Awareness month in the United States. Glaucoma is damage to the optic nerve, the part of the eye that brings vision information from the eye to the brain. It is usually, but not always associated with high eye pressure. The normal eye pressure is 11-21. Some people who have very high pressure will never develop Glaucoma, but unfortunately some people with "normal" pressure will develop all of the vision problems associated with the disease.

The most common type of Glaucoma, Primary Open Angle Glaucoma, causes a slow, painless loss of side vision before any central vision problems come up. Vision loss is permanent, so the name of the game is prevention!

The most common risk factor for the development of Glaucoma is a family history, especially if your family member had severe vision loss from Glaucoma or developed it a very early age. Not everyone in a family will get Glaucoma, but the risk could be as high as 30%! Make sure you know your family eye history.

Every person should have a complete eye exam that includes a dilated pupil examination of the optic nerve. If there is high pressure or any question of abnormalities you may be asked to under further testing. Be aware of Glaucoma, this month and every month!

How Often Should My Eyes Be Examined?

OK...you've graduated from school and now you are an adult. Congratulations! When, and how often, should you have your eyes examined? Well, if you are healthy and you don't need any glasses at all, you can probably be seen every 3 or 4 years until you reach 40 or so. After that once every 2 years is reasonable. At the age of 60 the Skyvision doctors think everyone should have a complete eye exam every year.

If you wear glasses to see near, far, or both it's best to be seen every two years until the age of 60, and then every year after that. For people who wear contact lenses, EVERYONE needs to be seen at least once per year. Contact lenses sometimes have "silent" problems, and the only way to know if you are safe to continue wearing them is by seeing your Skyvision Centers doctor every year.

There are some special rules for  people with specific eye or medical problems. For example, if you have diabetes you need to have a complete, dilated eye exam at least once per year. We will send a note to your treating doctor with the results. Other medical problems or treaments like the use of Plaquenil or treating Hepatitis C have special requirements. Of course, if you have an eye disease like Glaucoma or Macular Degeneration you should follow your doctor's recommedations regarding follow-up exams.

Remember to keep your eyes safe! Don'f forget your eye exams!!

Nearsightedness: A New Risk For Glaucoma

Glaucoma is damage to the optic nerve, usually but not always associated with high pressure in the eye. Eye doctors first see Glaucoma in changes to the optic nerve, the fine nerve fibers that enter the nerve, or in tests of the side vision. Unfortunately, the damage to the eye from Glaucoma is permanent once it occurs. This is why prevention and early detection are so important.

There are a number of risk factors or associations for Glaucoma risk that have been known for a long time. The most important risk is having a family history of Glaucoma, especially if a family member has had a severe loss of vision from Glaucoma. Other known risks include diabetes and certain family heritages (African-Americans have a much higher risk to develop Glaucoma). Of course, the greatest risk factor is age, as the risk to develop Glaucoma goes up dramatically as we age.

A recent study has confirmed that MYOPIA, being nearsighted, is a risk for Glaucoma. People who have a nearsighted prescription of greater than -3.00 have TWICE the risk of developing Glaucoma as people with little or no myopia, or people with farsightedness or hyperopia. Simply being nearsighted does not mean you will get Glaucoma, but if you have any other risk factors and you are also nearsighted you should consider having your eye doctor do a complete evaluation to rule out this severe, potentially blinding disease.

Feel free to call us at Skyvision centers if you live in Cleveland and have any questions about Glaucoma.