Ocular Hypertension And Glaucoma: Diligence In Treatment For Effective Prevention
If you have been diagnosed with ocular hypertension, diligent lifelong treatment and monitoring is imperative. Although your ocular hypertension poses no symptoms, failure to treat it can result in glaucoma, a serious condition in which the optic nerve sustains damage, and irreversible blindness can result. Understanding your diagnosis and how the various treatments work to correct it will enable you to work with your ophthalmologist to reduce your risk for developing glaucoma.
What Causes Ocular Hypertension?
Ocular hypertension is defined as abnormally high intraocular pressure. Your eyes produce aqueous humor, a clear, gelatinous fluid that fills in the space between the cornea and lens of each eye. This substance is constantly produced and circulated, draining out through the drainage angle. When the amount of fluid that is produced and the amount that is drained are not in balance, fluid pressure within the eye builds up. This increase in pressure is called ocular hypertension, which is diagnosed when the intraocular pressure in one or both eyes reads higher than 22 mm Hg and no signs of glaucoma are present. Prolonged ocular hypertension inflicts damage to the optic nerve, which is the nerve that transmits visual messages to the brain. The goal of treatment is to prevent this disastrous consequence by restoring normal intraocular pressure.
How Is Ocular Hypertension Treated?
Ocular hypertension is treated with daily medication. There are numerous drugs available that are prescribed to reduce intraocular pressure and prevent damage to the optic nerve.
Prostaglandin Analogs
This group of ophthalmic medications treats ocular hypertension by increasing the amount of aqueous humor that drains from the eye. Prostaglandin analogs are administered in the form of eye drops. The different prostaglandin analogs include the following:
- Bimatoprost
- Travaprost
- Tafluprost
- Latanoprost
If one of these medications does not achieve the desired results, your ophthalmologist may try another one. It is not unusual to find that one is more effective than another in an individual patient.
Beta-Blockers
Beta-blockers decrease the production of aqueous humor. These ophthalmic solutions and gels include the following drugs:
- Levobunolol HCl
- Metipranolol
- Trimolol Maleate
- Trimolol Hemihydrate
- Betaxolol HCl
Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors
Like beta-blockers, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors decrease the production of aqueous humor. They may be prescribed in oral pill or ophthalmic drop form, and this group of medications includes the following:
- Brinzolamide
- Methazolamide
- Dorzolamide
- Acetazolamide
Alpha Agonists
Alpha agonists improve intraocular pressure by both increasing the amount of aqueous humor that is drained and decreasing the amount that is produced. Alpha agonists are administered as eye drops and include the following:
- Brimonidine Tartrate
- Apraclonidine HCl
Some patients require more than one medication to effectively lower their intraocular pressure. There are combination medications available that contain more than one of the aforementioned types of drugs.
Intraocular Pressure Monitoring
It can be a process of trial and error to find the particular medication that proves to be the most effective at lowering your intraocular pressure. Intraocular pressure rises as you get older, and the medication that is used to treat your ocular hypertension today may not be as effective in the future. Achieving optimal intraocular pressure is only the first step in preventing glaucoma in future. Maintaining ideal pressure readings is the second step, and this is achieved with your medication and through periodic examinations with your ophthalmologist. Through various tests, he or she will be able to determine your intraocular pressure and to evaluate the functionality of your optic nerve. If the pressure exceeds the normal range of 12 to 22 mm Hg, your doctor will likely switch your treatment plan to another medication.
As long as you comply with your ophthalmologist's recommended schedule of examinations and are diligent with administering your prescribed medications, your prognosis is good for averting the development of glaucoma and for retaining your vision for life. Contact a company like Atlantic Eye Consultant PC - Delianides Aris P MD for more information.
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