Stack Optical Services Inc.

In our second generation serving Denver Since 1968

3865 Cherry Creek Drive, N

Denver, CO 80209

Phone: 303-321-1578

Email: sosoptical@aol.com

What is Glaucoma?

What is open-angle glaucoma?
Open-angle glaucoma is a pattern of vision loss with increased pressure inside the eye. This eye pressure is known as intraocular pressure (IOP). Glaucoma, which may cause blindness, usually has no warning signs. Not knowing you have glaucoma is a person's greatest risk. Simple tests performed by your eye doctor can diagnose glaucoma.

Proper diagnosis and ongoing treatment by your eye doctor can help slow or stop further loss of vision.

What causes increased IOP?
The eye creates a liquid known as aqueous humor. This fluid helps to bathe and nourish the inside of the eye. It also helps the eye hold its shape. The fluid flows out of the eye into a drainage system. A block in the drainage system from the eye may increase the intraocular pressure (IOP) of the eye.

How does increased IOP affect vision?
Researchers believe that when IOP is too high, the pressure on the optic nerve damages the nerve. This damage slowly causes vision loss and reduces the visual field.

The visual field is the whole area the eye can see without moving the eyes. In open-angle glaucoma, the loss of vision will usually start at the edges of the visual field and move toward the center. A person's visual field gets smaller and smaller if the condition is not treated. A person's vision will be similar to looking through a tunnel. If not treated the disease could lead to total blindness.

Who is at risk?
Patients who may be at risk for developing glaucoma may have a history that includes:

• High intraocular pressure (IOP)

• A family history of glaucoma

• African ancestry

• Severe nearsightedness (myopia)

• Diabetes

• Not had regular eye examinations and are older than 45 years

• Used steroids or cortisone for a long time

• Had a previous eye injury

How can I be tested?
The tests for glaucoma are simple and can be done by your eye doctor. For more information on what to expect during your eye exam.

Don't wait. Ask your eye care professional. Studies suggest that early diagnosis and ongoing treatment can reduce IOP and help slow the risk of further vision loss.

How is Glaucoma Treated?

The most important part of glaucoma treatment is you, the patient. You need to become aware and learn about glaucoma and how it is treated. The more information you know the more successful the treatment.

What is increased intraocular pressure?
The loss of vision from open-angle glaucoma seems to be connected to the painless increase in fluid pressure inside the eye. The pressure is called intraocular pressure (IOP) by health professionals. Many diseases are connected with increased eye pressure, but the exact cause is still not known. It is important to know other types of glaucoma exist. These other types may be present even though the eye pressure is normal. Be sure to ask your doctor questions during the exam.

The optic nerve delivers visual messages to the brain. Damage to the optic nerve from increased IOP can result in the loss of vision. Studies have shown that control of high IOP helps slow or stop further loss of vision. The main goal of glaucoma treatment is to control IOP. Treatments such as prescription eye drops, pills, and surgery may help control increased IOP.

How does treatment work?
Glaucoma treatments focus on lowering IOP. The eye produces a fluid called aqueous humor that bathes and nourishes the structures inside the eye. This fluid then flows out of the eye through a drainage system. If the fluid system stays balanced, the pressure in the eye stays normal. If the drain becomes blocked, the fluid cannot leave the eye, and IOP increases.

Prescription medicines, usually in the form of eye drops, that can lower IOP are used in the treatment of open-angle glaucoma. Lowering IOP is the main goal of treatment the glaucoma. Studies suggest that lowering IOP can slow further vision loss.

What laser and surgical options are available?
If medication is not effective, cannot be managed or not taken as directed, laser or traditional surgery may be suggested. Laser and surgical procedures are intended to improve the fluid drainage in the eye. Laser surgery or trabeculoplasty is quite painless and has lowered IOP in more than three-quarters of cases. It may also be done as an outpatient procedure. In some cases eye drops or a repeated laser procedure may be required to control IOP.

If both medical and laser treatments do not control the increased pressure, an alternative drain passage may be created by surgery (trabeculoplasty). This would allow the aqueous humor to drain from the eye and reduce the pressure. More than three-quarters of the patients treated surgically have managed to control IOP. Although the success rate of surgery is good, a person's vision may be blurred for several weeks after surgery. In most cases, normal eye sight returns within three months.

Know Your IOP

The Glaucoma Foundation's "Know Your Eye Pressure" program is a campaign to educate the public about glaucoma and the risk factors. The foundation wants to educate people about how intraocular pressure (IOP), also known as eye pressure, affects managing the disease which causes the loss of sight. The foundation wants to stress the importance of regular and complete eye exams from an eye care professional.

The program is designed to accomplish the following goals through the media:

• Educate the public on the consequences of high, untreated eye pressure.

• Motivate everyone to get screened—know your IOP.

• Encourage everyone to monitor their IOP.

• Emphasize the importance of treating glaucoma.

• Motivate diagnosed glaucoma patients to regularly take their medications.

The Glaucoma Foundation hopes this campaign will help people realize how important the concept of "Know Your Numbers" is to glaucoma as it relates to eye pressure. Just as high blood pressure and high cholesterol are risk factors for cardio-vascular diseases, a person's eye pressure is a risk factor for glaucoma.

The official launch of this campaign to all Americans took place on May 31, 2000, from New York. Former Minnesota Twins all-star Kirby Puckett—who lost the vision in his right eye due to glaucoma—and The Glaucoma Foundation are teaming up to launch the "Know Your Eye Pressure" national public service announcement campaign. The public service announcement will be distributed to television and radio stations across the country, urging Americans to contact the Glaucoma Foundation at 1-800 GLAUCOMA (1-800/452-8266) or visit their website at: www.glaucoma-foundation.org to obtain free information on glaucoma and helpful tips on understanding the disease.