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| By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
There are several types of glaucoma, but all have one thing in common: damage to the optic nerve in the back of the eye. The eye pressure may not always be elevated, but peripheral vision examinations will detect it. It is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly and in African Americans.
Numerous risk factors are listed in The Eye Care Revolution (Kensington, 1999). I have found the two major factors are stress and poor circulation in the eye at night. High blood pressure medications actually can result in blood pressure falling too low at night. Poor circulation, age and smoking are some common contributors to the development of glaucoma.
Most people will have the open-angle variety of glaucoma (also called primary open-angle, or chronic simple glaucoma).
There really are six types of glaucoma, including chronic open-angle glaucoma. The other types are congenital, narrow-angle, secondary, low tension and glaucoma suspect. All six types share damage to the optic nerve through a mechanism of elevated pressure in the eye, poor blood supply in the optic nerve or both.
Eye drops, laser therapy (especially for the narrow-angle variety) and surgery are the conventional treatment options and are required if you continue to lose peripheral vision (tested by visual field exams).
But more and more eye doctors are agreeing that there are other treatment options that can aid in the management of this sight-threatening condition:
Eye Advisory, Inc. 3501 Silverside Road, Wilmington, DE 19810 www.eyeadvisory.com
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