Talking About Eyes
Dr. Timothea Ryan,
Ophthalmologist and glaucoma specialist
We all know that Americans are living longer than ever. My goal as an ophthalmologist is to protect my patients’ vision for as long as they live. This is so important for daily functioning and quality of life.
Glaucoma is a very common eye disease that has no symptoms early on and has been called “the sneak thief of vision.” I strive to detect glaucoma early in my patients before it leads to a gradual decrease in vision, and ultimately blindness.
So what is glaucoma? It’s a group of diseases that produce high eye pressure (not the same as blood pressure) and damage the optic nerve, the main connection between your brain and eye.
The damaged nerve causes loss of peripheral vision. In the late stages of glaucoma, that peripheral vision loss progresses to central vision loss and blindness. Most of the time, this happens slowly, but sadly, the damage is irreversible. That is why it’s extremely important to detect glaucoma early, before you notice a loss of vision.
Glaucoma can only be discovered by having a complete eye exam with dilation. Dilation allows the physician to view the interior of the eye including the optic nerve.
So who gets glaucoma and what causes it? Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide.
It is estimated that three million Americans have glaucoma and half of them don’t even know it. High risk individuals include the ten million Americans that have ocular hypertension (high eye pressure), which can lead to glaucoma, African Americans, Hispanics and Asian Americans, and those of us 40 years of age and older.
Others at risk include those who have a family history of the disease, have diabetes, are very nearsighted or farsighted, have a history of eye injury, or are taking steroids like prednisone or certain asthma inhalers. For the most common type of glaucoma, open angle glaucoma, the cause remains unknown. But genetic predisposition is a prime suspect.
The most important message you can learn from this article is to make an appointment with an ophthalmologist for a complete eye exam. Don’t delay; don’t let glaucoma steal your vision.
Dr. Timothea Ryan
Ophthalmologist and glaucoma specialist
About the columnist:
Dr. Ryan is a board certified glaucoma specialist. She has been with Advanced Eye Physicians since August 2008. Advanced Eye Physicians has been in Meriden since 1956.
Submitted by Jeff Kurz on Fri, 10/30/2009 - 11:51
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