I am getting behind on my posting again. I had decided to post at least once a day, but other things do manage to pop up and take my time away. Yesterday I went with Bill to the eye specialist. He has to go often because he has Glaucoma.
Glaucoma is an eye disease that can cause blindness, but if it’s caught early it can be controlled as in Bill’s case. It often has no symptoms so regular eye exams are recommended. It usually starts when pressure builds up in the eye and the pressure can damage your optic nerve.
There are 2 types of Glaucoma, Open-angle which is what Bill has and it’s the most common kind. It occurs slowly as people age. The drainage area in the eye becomes clogged and not enough fluid drains, so the pressure slowly builds up. This causes a loss of side vision known as peripheral, but the loss can be so gradual that you may not even notice.
The second type is Closed-angle and it’s less common. The onset is usually very quick and the drainage area becomes completely blocked. The eye pressure will build very rapidly and you may notice blurred vision and rainbow halos around lights. You could also have headaches, nausea, vomiting, and severe pain. Blindness could occur very quickly if not treated right away. So it’s very important to have your eyes examined regularly.
There are eyedrops and pills that can help treat Glaucoma and laser procedures in severe cases of Glaucoma that will help improve the eye drainage which Bill has had done twice. It isn’t painful and it only takes a matter of a few minutes to create the holes to increase drainage. I was surprised at how simple the process was.
Bill has been putting drops in, in the morning and evenings for quite a few years and his pressure has been up and down. The Dr. gave him a different, new drop to try in one eye for about a month and when we went yesterday the pressure was 19 in the eye that he was using the new drop and 25 in the other.
The Dr. was very pleased with that result so now he will use the new drop in both eyes plus the 1 other eyedrop and he only has to do it mornings instead of 2 times a day. Bill is also very excited about the results because he’s been very worried about losing his sight. The drops he has been using causes discoloration under the eyes, but I don’t think his is as bad as some people. It can cause very dark circles, even the Dr. said he has seen much worse in other patients.
Anyone can get Glaucoma, but some are more at risk than others. You could be at risk if you suffer from high blood pressure and diabetes, previous eye injuries or surgeries, a family history of glaucoma, increasing age and African ancestry. Be sure to schedule regular eye exams so you don’t miss the beauty of the world we live in.
