Glaucoma Medications

Understanding Visual Field Test Taking

By Jeffrey Henderer, MD

The retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye, is composed of receptors, “photoreceptors,” that change light energy into electrical energy.

The central area of the retina is the most sensitive to light, and we see best what is directly in front of us. The more peripheral areas of the retina are less sensitive to light, but they allow us to see, though less clearly, objects off to the side or above or below straight-ahead vision. ...

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4
JUN

0

GSF Education

Dr. Jeffrey Henderer, Education, Visual Field

The HRT: A Better Way of Exmaing the Optic Nerve in Glaucoma?

by Jeffrey Henderer, MD
Glaucoma specialists at Wills and elsewhere are always looking for better ways to determine if an individual definitely has glaucoma and, if so, what kind of glaucoma it is. It is only when they have answers to these questions that they can suggest the best treatment for a particular individual. The only way they can get answers to these questions is to actually examine the optic nerve to see if and how it has been damaged.

Measuring ...

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4
JUN

0

GSF Education

Dr. Jeffrey Henderer, Education, Heidelberg Retina Tomograph (HRT)

Cyclocryotherapy for Endstage Glaucoma

By Richard P. Wilson

A Brief Explanation of Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a general term used to describe a group of diseases of the eye, all of which have pressure within the eye greater than the eye can tolerate and still remain healthy. Where does this pressure come from? In the front of the eye, there is a watery fluid called aqueous which keeps the eyeball firm and its contents clear. This aqueous fluid is produced by a part of the eye called ...

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4
JUN

0

GSF Education

Cyclocryotherapy, Dr. Richard Wilson, Education, Endstage Glaucoma, Surgery

Aqueous Shunts from the Anterior Chamber of the Eye to the Posterior Reservior

By Richard P. Wilson

Glaucoma is a disease in which the drainage mechanism of the eye has become blocked. Since an eye normally produces a watery fluid called aqueous throughout life, this fluid has nowhere to go and backs up. This causes a build-up of pressure within the eye which injures the optic nerve. The safest and simplest type of surgery to reduce intraocular pressure is a trabeculectomy, a procedure which makes a flap valve on top of the eye. This ...

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4
JUN

0

GSF Education

Angle Closure, Anterior Chamber, Dr. Richard Wilson, Education, Shunts

Trabeculectomy

By Richard P. Wilson

One way to relieve the dangerously high pressure in an eye with glaucoma is to make a new drain in the eye, a bypass for the blocked natural drain. This is called a trabeculectomy and is a surgical procedure. It takes the form of a “flap valve” on the top of the eye, the white part of the eye hidden under the upper eyelid. The eye pressure is relieved because fluid can now drain through the new ...

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4
JUN

0

GSF Education

Angle Closure, Dr. Richard Wilson, Education, Surgery, Trabeculectomy

Nd: YAG Cyclophotocoagulation Therapy for Difficult Glaucoma

By Richard P. Wilson, M.D.

A clear watery fluid called aqueous is being produced by the ciliary body of the eye at all times. This fluid circulates through the front of the eye and exits through the trabecular meshwork, or drain of the eye, into the bloodstream. The ciliary body is a band of tissue just behind where the clear cornea meets the white of the eye. At this point, a laser can be focused to burn and destroy part of ...

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4
JUN

0

GSF Education

Cyclophotocoagulation, Dr. Richard Wilson, Education, YAG

Laser Therapy for Glaucoma

There are many kinds of glaucoma. We classify the type of glaucoma according to the reason for the blockage in the outflow of fluid. The following two are by far the most common, and the main types of glaucoma treated with laser surgery.

Angle Closure Glaucoma

This type of glaucoma, which accounts for 10% of all glaucomas in the U.S., occurs when the angle between the cornea (the clear window into the eye) and the iris (the colored portion of the eye) ...

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4
JUN

0

GSF Education

Angle Closure, Education, Laser, Open Angle, Surgery

Age-Related Eye Disease Study

AREDS Coordinating Center

Dear AREDS Participant, A paper to be published in the January 2005 edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine will report that taking high-dose vitamin E supplements does not lower the risk of death, and might be associated with a small increase in the risk of death. The material in this paper was recently presented at a meeting of the American College of Physicians in New Orleans and this presentation has received much attention from the press. The ...

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4
JUN

0

GSF Education

AREDS, Education

Some Medications May Harm Glaucoma Patients

by George L Spaeth, MD

Three classes of medications can be harmful to individuals who have glaucoma or are predisposed to developing it: first, cortisone or cortisone-like drugs, second, drugs that lower blood pressure or affect blood flow, and third, drugs that make the pupil dilate.The word “can” is very important here, since the risks posed vary depending on the drug, how the drug is used, the type of glaucoma, and the individual involved.

Cortisone

An important class of medications of potential concern ...

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4
JUN

0

GSF Education

Blood Pressure, Cortisone, Dr. George Spaeth, Education, Medication, Narrow Angle, Steroids