African Americans

Glaucoma is one of the most common causes of vision loss in the United States.

Currently, 4-7% of the United States population over the age of 40 is suffering from ocular hypertension, one of the leading risk factors of Glaucoma. However, early treatment of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) can greatly reduce the risk for the development of glaucoma. This is especially true for individuals at the highest risk, including:

• Elevated Eye Pressure: Normal eye pressure is 12-21 mm Hg. anything above 21 is considered elevated.

• African Americans: Glaucoma is at least times more common in African Americans than in Caucasians.

• People over the age of 60: The risk of glaucoma rises by as much as six times after the ago of 60.

• Family History of Glaucoma: POAG may be hereditary. Positive family history increases the risk of glaucoma up to nine times.

• Hispanics: Recent studies indicate that the risk for Hispanic populations is about halfway between Caucasians and African Americans.

• Asians: People of Asian decent are at a higher risk for narrow angle or acute angle-closure glaucoma.

• Steroid Use: A 1997 study reported in the Journal of American Medical Association demonstrated a 40% increase in the incidence of ocular hypertension and open-angle glaucoma in adults who require approximately 14 to 35 puffs of steroid inhaler to control asthma.

• Eye Injuries: Injury to the eye may cause secondary open-angle glaucoma.

The Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS) Group recently conducted a study comparing the safety and efficiency of earlier and later treatment of ocular hypertension in reducing the risk for POAG. The study examined 1,636 individuals with increased IOP ranging from 24 to 32 mm Hg in 1 eye and 21 to 32 mm Hg in the other eye. The participants were then randomly assigned to observation or to receive topical ocular hypotensive medication.

Medication group: Median duration of treatment was 13.0 years.

Observation group: Median duration of 7.5 years without treatment and then received medication for a median of 5.5 years.

Researchers then compared the cumulative proportion of participants who went on to have POAG in both observation group and in the medication group at a median follow-up of 13 years.

The Results of the Study

• The proportion was 0.22 in the original observation group (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.19 – 0.25)

• The proportion was 0.16 (95% CI, 0.13 – 0.19) in the original medication group (P =. 009), or a 27% reduction in glaucoma risk associated with early treatment.

• The cumulative proportion of participants who went on to have POAG was 0.40 (95% CI, 0.33 – 0.46) and 0.28 (95% CI, 0.22 – 0.34), respectivelcCy.

Still, each patient and each instance of elevated IOP or ocular hypertension must be treated on a case-by-case basis. It is up to the physician to determine whom to treat and whom to observe.

“I try to only begin treatment on someone that truly needs preventative therapy, while not over treating anyone that we can simply monitor and keep safe without treatment,” said board certified ophthalmologist Sam Boles.

If you have any questions about what you have just read or if you would like to learn more about Early Treatment of Ocular Hypertension, please contact board certified ophthalmologist Dr. Samuel Boles, consultative optometrist Dr. Nathan Frank, and the eye care specialists at Anne Arundel Eye Center by calling 410-224-2010 or click here to visit AnneArundelEyeCenter.com today!

Cast your vote now for Anne Arundel Eye Center, Dr. Boles and Dr. Frank in Chesapeake Family Magazine’s Favorite Docs 2012! Voting ends on March 15th.

Dr. Boles and everyone else at the Anne Arundel Eye Center proudly support the efforts of The Polakoff Foundation and their role in the ongoing fight against glaucoma. Click here to purchase tickets online for the Polakoff Foundation’s Mardi Gras Celebration to help raise money to aid the fight against blindness.

Located in Annapolis, Maryland, the Anne Arundel Eye Center offers comprehensive specialized ophthalmic exams as well as diagnostic pre and post-surgical eye care. Specializing in glaucoma and cataracts, Dr. Boles has helped restore and preserve thousands of patients’ vision.

Glaucoma and Cataracts may be a natural part of aging. Losing your vision doesn’t have to be.

For more eye care advice and information, please take a look at our previous blog posts.

You can also follow Anne Arundel Eye Center on Facebook, Twitter,Google+, and YouTube as well!

According to a survey conducted in 2002 by Prevent Blindness America, 30 percent of Americans have never heard of
glaucoma and only half of those participating in the survey actually knew what it was. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world, and specialists believe that roughly 2.2 million people in America are affected. Only half of these individuals know that they have the disease. Given that January is Glaucoma Awareness Month, this is a great time to review the condition so that you, as patients, can become better informed and more knowledgeable.

Glaucoma is a multi-factorial disease that causes damage to the optic nerve that eventually leads to vision loss. Peripheral (side) vision loss occurs due to damage of the optic nerve of eye, which is similar to a fiber optics cable with about 1.2 million fibers that send images from the eye to the brain. There are two main types of glaucoma: primary open angle glaucoma and angle closure glaucoma. Both are usually marked by increased eye pressure inside the eye, but differ in the anatomical structure of the drainage system of the eye.

Risk factors for glaucoma? Everyone is at risk for glaucoma, newborn babies and senior citizens alike. However, there are several groups of people with an increased risk of developing the disease. Risk is heightened by:

Race (African Americans, Asians and Hispanics)
Diabetes
High blood pressure
Steroid Use
Age (People over 60)
History of eye trauma
Family History of glaucoma
High near-sighted patients

What are the common symptoms of glaucoma? The majority of people that have glaucoma are without symptoms. The visual symptoms that do occur tend to occur later in the disease process.

How to diagnose glaucoma? A comprehensive eye evaluation is imperative to rule out any suspicion for glaucoma. There are several important factors that need to be assessed prior to making a diagnosis. These include: measurement of eye pressure (normal range 12-22), a close assessment of the optic nerve, a peripheral visual field measurement, an exam of the drainage system of the eye, and finally a measurement of the cornea of the eye. These measurements are repeated once or twice a year or more often if there is any concern about progression.

How is glaucoma treated? The best way to protect your vision if diagnosed with glaucoma is to continue care
with your eye care provider. The goal of treatment is to lower the intraocular pressure to prevent further damage to the optic nerve. When diagnosed with glaucoma, the first line of treatment usually starts with the use of a single eye drop that is instilled once a night. If further pressure lowering is needed, additional drops can be used. Further treatment options include laser therapy or, if necessary, surgical treatment.

Glaucoma is a very complicated disease and this is only a brief overview. Some questions may still remain; a great
resource for information is glaucoma.org, a website that is constantly updated with information for those with glaucoma and for those who may know others with glaucoma.

If you have any further questions and would like to learn more about Glaucoma Detection and Treatment, please Dr. Frank and the eye care specialists at Anne Arundel Eye Center by calling 410-224-2010 or click here to visit AnneArundelEyeCenter.com today!

Cast your vote now for Anne Arundel Eye Center, Dr. Samuel Boles and Dr. Frank in Chesapeake Family Magazine’s Favorite Docs 2012! Voting ends on March 15th.

Glaucoma and Cataracts may be a natural part of aging. Losing your vision doesn’t have to be.

For more eye care advice and information, please take a look at our previous blog posts.

You can also follow Anne Arundel Eye Center on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube as well!