Glaucoma Treatment
Glaucoma Disease » Glaucoma Treatment » Occular Hypertension ??

Occular Hypertension ??

Question:

Ocular hypertension simply means that the intraocular pressure (IOP) is greater than normal (10 – 21 mm of mercury) with no evidence of glaucomatous damage to the optic nerve.  If that is the case, I’m surprised that you did poorly on the visual field test (unless some other type of eye pathology would account for a poor performance, like sagging eyelids or macular degeneration).  If you have lost visual field, then it is possible that you have true glaucoma, and not just ocular hypertension.  Ask your doctor what "flunked" means…did you just have a lot of false positives and false negatives, indicating an unreliable test, or was there a field defect present that might indicate glaucoma?  If so, why is he/she only diagnosing ocular hypertension?  If your doctor doesn’t clarify this issue, you might consider a second opinion. Incidentally, performance on visual field tests usually improves with repeating the test, the so called "practice effect."         Elevated IOP is not itself glaucoma, but rather a risk factor for the development of glaucoma. It may additionally predispose one to a vein occlusion, the closing off of blood vessels draining the retina, causing significant and rapid visual loss.  The risk of this is greatest with IOP’s in the upper 20’s and higher.  If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me directly by e-mail at eyegu…@aol.com Good luck to you, Rick Cohn, MD glaucoma specialist

Response:

Hi All, got a question for you. At my latest eye check-up with the opthamologist I flunked the peripheral field test. In addition the doc said that I had occular hypertension but did not elaborate what this meant. He wants to see me again in 4 months. Can anyone explain to me what he is talking about. Thanks, Monika {o/} "This Above All……….  /   To Thine Own Self Be True" ~~~~~  (For e-mail remove one r from Starrborn)

Response:

 I was wondring about the vision loss your speaking of due to a vein occlusion.  Would it cause you to lose peripheral vision or central vision.  Also, would a vein occlusion cause blurred vision.   How do they treat this?

Response:

Interjecting some information for ElPeso, who wrote: > I was wondring about the vision loss your speaking of due to a vein >occlusion.  Would it cause you to lose peripheral vision or central >vision.  Also, would a vein occlusion cause blurred vision. >  How do they treat this?<

You may be interested in an article, Risk Factors for Central Retinal Vein Occlusion, in Archives of Ophthalmology, Volume 114, May 1996, page 545. It found increased risk with high blood pressure, diabetes, open angle glaucoma, lack of exercise, high sed rates in women, and concluded, "The findings reinforce recommendations to diagnose and treat systemic hypertension, advise patients to increase physical exercise, and consider use of exogenous estrogens in postmenopausal women." (Not a professional response)

Response:

A central retinal vein occlusion causes sudden loss of vision, most notably central vision due to filling of the macula with blood and serous fluid (the macula is the central part of the retina, responsible for our central, sharpest vision).  Treatments include observation, to allow for possible spontaneous improvement (unfortunately, this does not occur typically) and reabsorption of blood.  After several months, if blood is less evident, the patient may be a candidate for a focal retinal laser treatment.  This stimulates cells under the retina to help pump fluid more effectively.  While there is often some visual improvement, persistent visual impairment is still quite common.           I hope this info is helpful.   Rick Cohn, MD glaucoma specialist

Response:

Related Posts

Write a comment