Glaucoma Essay -- Vision Sight Opthamology Disorders Essays

Glaucoma Glaucoma is a common and important health problem. It is one of the leading causes of blindness in Western Society (Hoskins & Kass, 1989). It is responsible for ten percent of all blindness in the United States and continues to be the second or third most common cause of blindness in the world (Bunce, Fraser, & Wormald, 1999). It is estimated that two million people in the United States have been diagnosed as having glaucoma. Glaucoma is known to affect about two percent of Caucasians beginning at the age of 40 with an increasing risk for those over the age of 60. This risk is especially high if a member of the family has glaucoma or diabetes. Further, there is a higher risk of a glaucoma diagnosis for African Americans over the age of 40. Glaucoma results from increasing intraocular pressure, pressure inside the eye, which can lead to irreparable damage to the retina and the optic nerve, which connects the retina with the back of the brain. Intraocular pressure is determined by the balance between the rate of the aqueous humor production (found between the cornea and the lens) and its resistance to outflow at the angle of the anterior chamber. In most cases, increased resistance to aqueous humor outflow causes elevated intraocular pressure. Lowering intraocular pressure constrains or slows the progress of glaucoma. There are many conditions that individuals may encounter as a result of glaucoma. Chew et al. (1999) found high intraocular pressure or the presence of glaucoma to be an identification for decreased life expectancy. After minor modifications were made for risk factors such as age, sex, hypertension, diabetes, cigarette smoking, and body mass index, which are known to be associated with higher mort... ... B., Hiller, R., Podgor, M. J., Sperduto, R. D., & Wilson, P. W. F. (1999). High intraocular pressure and survival: the Framingham studies. American Journal of Ophthalmology,128, 440-445. Gorin, G. (1977). Clinical glaucoma . New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc. Horn, F., Jonas, J. B., Junemann, A., Korth, M., Martus, P., & Wisse, M. (1998). A multivariate sensory model in glaucoma diagnosis. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 39, 1567-1573. Hoskins, H. D., Jr., & Kass, M. (1989). Beckner-Schaffer's diagnosis and therapy of the glaucomas (6th ed.). St. Louis: The C. V. Mosby Company. Lewis, S. H., & Brinzolamide Primary Therapy Study Group (1998). Clinical efficacy and safety of brinzolamide (azopt^tm), a new topical carbonic anhydrase inhibitor for primary open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension. American Journal of Ophthalmology, 126, 400- 408.