Treatments for glaucoma in diabetes

The Diabetic’s Nightmare: Glaucoma

Bad enough that diabetes is causing serious lifestyle changes in many Filipinos today. But with the added risk of permanent blindness, diabetics will surely live a nightmare. Among the many risk factors for potential glaucoma sufferers, diabetes may just be the worse.
Considered as the leading cause of permanent blindness in the Philippines, glaucoma gradually damages the eyes until only the darkness of blindness is left. It attacks the optic nerves, which connects the eyes to the brain, and causes shrinking of the visual field leading to permanent blindness. Common risk factors for glaucoma are eye pressure, age, previous family injury, chronic steroid use, diabetes mellitus and race – among these, eye pressure is the most worrisome.
But for diabetics who day-by-day starts experiencing blurred vision should not get new glasses yet. Instead, visit your ophthalmologist. Terrible eye diseases like glaucoma, cataract and retinopathy may be afoot.
Diabetes is a disease, which results from the inability of the body to produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that delivers sugar from blood to cells, which will use it for energy. Sugar accumulates in the blood in the absence of insulin.
With Diabetes, high blood sugar levels cause the lens of the eye to swell and therefore changes your ability to see. It also affects the stability of blood vessels causing a derangement of blood supply to the retina (the processing film of the eye).
Primary open-angle glaucoma, a common type of glaucoma, may or may not show symptoms. But symptoms like headaches, eye aches or pain, blurred vision, watering eyes, halos around lights and, ultimately, loss of vision are common.
“There is an association between Diabetes and the development of Primary Open Angle Glaucoma because they basically affect the same age group. A particular type of glaucoma called Neovascular Glaucoma may be a direct consequence of Diabetic disease of the retina” said Dr. Biboy Martinez, one of the country’s leading experts in glaucoma and the vice president of the Philippine Glaucoma Society (PGS).

Diabetics must visit the doctor once they experience the following symptoms: black spots in vision, flashes of light, holes in vision and blurred vision.
However, whether or not diabetics are experiencing blurred vision, they should be wary that they are the most at risk of the dreaded glaucoma.
People with type 1 diabetes should visit their eye doctors at most three to five years after diagnosis. For patients with type 2 diabetes, the should pay a visit to their eye doctor immediately after diagnosis.
Annual eye exams are recommended for both types of diabetes. Pregnant women must be wary as well if they have a history of glaucoma. They should get eye exams prior and during pregnancy.
Treatments for glaucoma in diabetes can include special eye drops, laser procedures, medicine and even surgery.
The Philippine Glaucoma Society with Allergan has launched a series of programs, activities and awareness campaigns in local and online communities to spread the word on the adverse effects of glaucoma to its patients and to the country.
Philippine Glaucoma Society with Allergan brings scientific excellence and rigor in delivering leading products that addresses glaucoma. Allergan goes beyond providing education and information. With the highest level of integrity, Allergan helps patients understand the choices available to them and make well-informed treatment decisions with their doctors.
Life can be sweeter for diabetics without the nightmare of permanent blindness. Visit your eye doctor regularly.

The risk of Glaucoma, Is it higher among older patients?

Darkness at the dusk of life: Glaucoma amongst the Aged

 A man on the verge of his senior age is more susceptible to many diseases that come with age. Among others is the incurable glaucoma, which occurs more often at the dusk of man’s life.

“Indeed, the risk of glaucoma is higher among older patients and is a cause of worry. Not only does age become accountable to a number of other illnesses, it also becomes the cause of permanent blindness at the dusk of life,” said Dr. Biboy Martinez, vice-president of the Philippine Glaucoma Society, the recognized association of glaucoma specialists in the country.

As the number one cause of permanent blindness in the Philippines, Glaucoma damages the optic nerve, which is the cable that links the eye to the brain.

Fluids in the brain maintain the constant eye pressure within the eyeball. When the fluids don’t drain properly, raised intraocular eye pressure ensues and gradually robs the elderly patient of sight.

Advancing age is a significant risk factor. Other risk factors include eye pressure, previous eye injury, diabetes mellitus, chronic steroid use and race.

Glaucoma treatment aims to preserve whatever vision remains through any or a combination of the following treatments: regular eye drops, laser surgery and conventional eye surgery.

A local study done in two Manila-based eye centers in 2001  by Dr. Patricia Khu showed that Filipinos have a high incidence of Angle Closure Glaucoma. Angle Closure Glaucoma is the deadlier kind of glaucoma compared to Open angle glaucoma, which is common among Caucasians and Europeans.

The elderly should regularly have eye exams to check if glaucoma is there. Since glaucoma affects the peripheral vision early on it would be good to be able to test this easily. You can try this easy test at home: Sit and look straight, extend your arms at your side parallel to the floor and wiggle your fingers. Can you see your fingers?

Try to pull your arms back and see how far you can see. Now, slowly move your arms toward the center. Most of people should be able to see their arms at right angles to our bodies but since people hardly check their peripheral visions, patients could gradually be losing it. (Visit www.aplaceformom.com/senior-care-resources/articles/glaucoma-in-seniors for more details.)

Early detection is very effective in preventing glaucoma damage. Patients are usually unaware of the onset of the dreaded disease until they lose vision. The elderly, being at the most risk, should frequently get an eye exam to stop glaucoma on its tracks.

“We cannot prevent the onset of glaucoma especially when a patient already has it. Early detection and treatment is possible by regularly paying your eye doctor a visit,” adds Doctor Martinez.

The Philippine Glaucoma Society partnered with the globally recognized Allergan in their fight to rid the country of glaucoma with the use of education, exchange of ideas, research and publication. PGS and Allergan launched a series of campaign, projects and activities to promote their vision That no Filipino will ever go blind from glaucoma.

Glaucoma may be incurable but it should not prevent life from going on. The elderly may be at the last chapters of their lives but with early detection, they may live it without fear of losing sight of it.

Glaucoma - the second leading cause of blindness in the world

In celebration of World Glaucoma Week, the Philippine Glaucoma Society together with Allergen brings total awareness to the public about this dreaded eye disease, which is Glaucoma. Glaucoma is considered to be the second leading cause of blindness in the world, and here in the Philippines, it ranked first as the leading cause of blindness not just in one eye, but in both eyes. With this very disturbing information, the Philippine Glaucoma Society took upon their hands the task of  informing our fellow Filipinos about this disease through education, exchange of ideas, research and public dissemination of important facts about Glaucoma.

Glaucoma: Signs and Preventions

Our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal decided to pursue studying Medicine because he want to cure his mother's glaucoma. Whenever I hear the word "glaucoma", it refers to an eye related disease.

Glaucoma is an eye disease in which the optic nerve is damaged in a characteristic pattern. It can permanently damage vision in the affected eyes and lead to blindness if left untreated. It is normally associated with increased fluid pressure in the eye or aqueous humour. 'Normal tension' or 'low tension' glaucoma is used for those with optic nerve damage and associated visual field loss but normal or low IOP.