|
Papers > Science > Glaucoma
Featured Papers from Direct Essays |
|||
1. Marijuana a new medicine
|
|||
This is a preview of a paper to view the full text you need to signup and login.
Glaucoma |
|||
|
What is Glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that gradually steals sight without warning and often without symptoms. ... Although IOP is clearly a risk factor, we now know that other factors must also be involved because even people with "normal" IOP can experience vision loss from glaucoma. Different Types of Glaucoma The two main types of glaucoma are open angle glaucoma, or primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), and angle closure glaucoma. Primary Open Angle Glaucoma This is the most common form of glaucoma, affecting about three million Americans. ... With open angle glaucoma, the entrances to the drainage canals are clear and should be working correctly. ... If open angle glaucoma is not diagnosed and treated, it can cause a gradual loss of vision. This type of glaucoma develops slowly and sometimes without noticeable sight loss for many years. ... Angle Closure Glaucoma This type of glaucoma is also known as acute glaucoma or narrow angle glaucoma. It is much more rare and is very different from open angle glaucoma in that the eye pressure usually goes up very fast. ... With angle closure glaucoma, the iris and cornea is not as wide and open as it should be. ... Treatment of angle closure glaucoma usually involves surgery to remove a small portion of the outer edge of the iris. ... Symptoms of angle closure glaucoma may include headaches, eye pain, nausea, rainbows around lights at night, and very blurred vision. Secondary Glaucoma Glaucoma can occur as the result of an eye injury, inflammation, tumor or in advanced cases of cataract or diabetes. ... This form of glaucoma may be mild or severe. The type of treatment will depend on whether it is open angle or angle closure glaucoma. Normal Tension Glaucoma (NTG) Normal tension glaucoma is also known as low tension glaucoma or normal pressure glaucoma. In this type of glaucoma, the optic nerve is damaged even though intraocular pressure (IOP) is not very high. ... Those at higher risk for this form of glaucoma are people with a family history of normal tension glaucoma, people of Japanese ancestry, and people with a history of systemic heart disease, such as irregular heart rhythm. Normal tension glaucoma is usually detected after an examination of the optic nerve. The Glaucoma Research Foundation sponsored an international study to help determine the best treatment for this type of glaucoma (Collaborative NTG Study). The study concluded eye drops that lower IOP were effective even in cases of normal tension glaucoma. Currently, most doctors treat normal tension glaucoma by keeping normal eye pressures as low as possible with medicines, laser surgery, or filtering surgery. Pigmentary Glaucoma This is a form of secondary open angle glaucoma. ... Cataracts and Glaucoma Both cataracts and glaucoma can be a natural part of the aging process. ... With the exception of glaucoma due to secondary causes such as trauma or steroids, glaucoma does not cause cataracts and cataracts do not cause glaucoma. While glaucoma is most often a problem with drainage, a cataract is a clouding of the eye’s lens allowing less light to pass through. Both cataracts and glaucoma are serious conditions that can cause you to lose vision. ... Loss of vision from glaucoma is, as yet, irreversible. IS there a Cure Currently, there is no cure for glaucoma. Glaucoma is a chronic disease that must be treated for life. ... These areas of study deal with the origins and pathology of glaucoma as opposed to managing symptoms. Diagnostic Tests Early detection, through regular and complete eye exams, is the key to protecting your vision from damage caused by glaucoma. Four Main Tests for Glaucoma Regular glaucoma check-ups include two routine eye tests: tonometry and ophthalmoscopy. ... If the pressure in the eye is not in the normal range, or if the optic nerve looks unusual, then one or two special glaucoma tests will be done. ... Gonioscopy Gonioscopy is a painless eye test that checks if the angle where the iris meets the cornea is open or closed, showing if either open angle or closed angle glaucoma is present. ... Your eyes should be tested at: · Ages 35 and 40 · After age 40, every two to four years · After age 60, every one to two years · Those with any high risk factors, every one to two years after age 35 Glaucoma Facts What is Glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that gradually steals sight without warning and often without symptoms. ... We now know that other factors must also be involved since people with "normal" IOP can experience vision loss from glaucoma. Glaucoma is a chronic disease. ... Numbers · 3 million Americans have glaucoma but only half of those know they have it. · Approximately 120,000 are blind from glaucoma, accounting for 9% to 12% of all cases of blindness in the U. ... · Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the U. ... · Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness among African-Americans. · Glaucoma is 6 to 8 times more common in African-Americans than Caucasians. · African-Americans ages 45-65 are 14 to 17 times more likely to go blind from glaucoma than Caucasians with glaucoma in the same age group. · The most common form, Open Angle Glaucoma, accounts for 19% of all blindness among African-Americans compared to 6% in Caucasians. ... · Estimates put the total number of suspected cases of glaucoma at around 65 million worldwide. ... · 61% of those (less than half of all adult Americans) are receiving a dilated eye exam (the best and most effective way to detect glaucoma). ... 1% of African-Americans were unfamiliar with glaucoma. ... 8% of Caucasians do not know anything about glaucoma. ... · 20% of people knew that glaucoma was related to elevated pressure within the eye. Most of them mistakenly thought people could tell if they had glaucoma due to symptoms, or that it was easily cured, or that it did not lead to blindness. · 50% had heard of glaucoma, but weren’t sure what it was. · 30% had never heard of glaucoma. Economic Impact · Glaucoma accounts for over 7 million visits to physicians each year. ... Remember · The best way to protect yourself from loss of vision due to glaucoma is with regular, thorough eye exams. ... · Loss of vision from glaucoma is irreversible. · Glaucoma usually has no signs or symptoms until serious loss of vision occurs. · Most cases of glaucoma are controlled with medication or surgery. Hard Facts Everyone is at risk for glaucoma from babies to senior citizens. Yes, older people are at a higher risk for glaucoma but babies get glaucoma (approximately 1 out of every 10,000 babies born in this country is born with glaucoma), young adults can get glaucoma, and African-Americans especially are susceptible at a younger age than Caucasians. Glaucoma is not curable, however, it is manageable. ... Often glaucoma can be managed with medication and/or surgery. ... However, glaucoma is a chronic disease that must be treated for life. With open angle glaucoma, the most common form, there are virtually no symptoms. ... The best way to protect your sight from glaucoma is to be tested so that if you have glaucoma, treatment can begin immediately. Glaucoma can in fact cause blindness if it is left untreated. And unfortunately approximately 10% of people with glaucoma who receive proper treatment still experience loss of vision. Risks of getting it Everyone is at risk for glaucoma, however, certain groups are at higher risk than others. It is recommended that people at high risk for glaucoma receive a complete eye exam that includes eye dilation every one to two years. Those at high risk for glaucoma include: · African-Americans Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness among African-Americans and is six to eight times more common in African-Americans than Caucasians. · People Over 60 People over the age of 60 are six times more likely to get glaucoma than those younger. · Hereditary If you have family members (especially immediate family members) with glaucoma, this puts you at a much higher risk than the rest of the population. Family history increases risk of glaucoma four to nine times as compared to those who do not have glaucoma in their family. · Asian-Americans Asians are not in a particularly high-risk group for glaucoma except that Asians appear to be at some risk for angle closure glaucoma. Angle closure glaucoma accounts for less than 10% of all diagnosed cases of glaucoma. · Steroid use There is some evidence that links steroid use to glaucoma. ... However, a study reported in the Journal of American Medical Association, March 3, 2001, demonstrated a 40% increase in the incidence of ocular hypertension and open angle glaucoma in adults who require approximately 14 to 35 puffs of steroid inhaler to control asthma. ... · Eye Injury Glaucoma can occur as the result of an eye injury immediately after the injury or years later. This is also known as traumatic glaucoma and is most often the result of a blunt trauma such as a blow to the head or an injury directly to the eye. ... When a blunt trauma occurs, it can cause damage to the drainage system resulting in traumatic glaucoma. Glaucoma can also be caused by a penetrating injury. Children with GLaucoma What is Childhood Glaucoma Childhood glaucoma (also referred to as congenital glaucoma or infantile glaucoma) occurs in babies and is usually diagnosed within the first year of life. ... Enlargement of the eye, cloudiness of the cornea and photosensitivity (sensitivity to light) are some symptoms of childhood glaucoma. ... What to Expect Thousands of children with glaucoma can live full lives. |
|||
To link to this page, copy the following code to your site:
Paper Information |
|||||
Title: Glaucoma
|
|||||
Signup & Login |
|||||
If you don't currently have a login then Signup here |
|||||
| Pre-Written Papers | |||||
|
|||||
| Custom Papers | |||||
|
|||||
Copyright 2003-2008 doingmyhomework.com. All rights reserved.