Glaucoma and Aging
31/03/11 07:36
The leading causes of glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and macular degeneration tend to come on silently, without pain or other symptoms in the earliest stages. The later an eye problem is diagnosed, the harder it becomes to treat. In some cases, any vision that has slipped away may be gone forever.
Experts say that skipping regular and thorough eye exams is chief among the barriers to early detection. It's important to have your eyes regularly checked through dilated pupils so doctors can get a good three-dimensional view of the optic nerve and retina. For a dilated exam, an eye specialist places drops in the eye to enlarge the pupils.
If you ignore symptoms of glaucoma and fail to get treatment, the damage can be permanent and blindness is more likely. There are eye drops and medications that can be used to treat mild cases of glaucoma. Lumigan and Travatan are two that treat elevated eye pressure. For people in the more advanced stages of the disease, surgery is a necessary measure that many doctors recommend.
Original article: http://seniorhealth.about.com/library/vision/bl_eye_exam.htm
Experts say that skipping regular and thorough eye exams is chief among the barriers to early detection. It's important to have your eyes regularly checked through dilated pupils so doctors can get a good three-dimensional view of the optic nerve and retina. For a dilated exam, an eye specialist places drops in the eye to enlarge the pupils.
If you ignore symptoms of glaucoma and fail to get treatment, the damage can be permanent and blindness is more likely. There are eye drops and medications that can be used to treat mild cases of glaucoma. Lumigan and Travatan are two that treat elevated eye pressure. For people in the more advanced stages of the disease, surgery is a necessary measure that many doctors recommend.
Original article: http://seniorhealth.about.com/library/vision/bl_eye_exam.htm
0 Comments