Myopia and high intraocular pressure may lead to glaucoma and blindness! Glaucoma surgery a warning sign for younger people? Stopping medication on your own is more dangerous
Afraid of becoming completely blind within half a year? Doctor: Glaucoma surgery makes you look younger
Occasionally blurry vision and “missing corners” around the visual field? Beware of the “thief of sight” glaucoma creeping in! Glaucoma is a major risk factor for irreversible blindness. The World Health Organization estimates that the number of people with glaucoma worldwide will exceed 100 million by 2040. The visual field loss caused by glaucoma usually starts on the nasal side and slowly shrinks from the periphery to the center into a “tunnel-like” shape, eventually leading to total blindness.
Liu Ruiling, director-level attending physician of the Department of Ophthalmology at Taipei Veterans General Hospital and chairman of the Yunshan Eye Education and Research Foundation, said that there are few conscious symptoms in the early stages of glaucoma, and 50% of patients are diagnosed in the middle and late stages. Many people think that it is natural aging of vision or As myopia worsens, without early correct diagnosis and treatment, late-stage glaucoma patients may completely lose their vision in just a few months or six months, seriously affecting their life and health.
Dr. Liu Ruiling pointed out that according to tracking statistics, 40% of glaucoma patients will face blindness within 20 years of onset, and the average age of glaucoma patients who undergo trabeculectomy has dropped from 63 to 51 years old. The main reason is that patients discover it too late, or do not believe in the diagnosis and fail to take medication on time. Some patients even seek folk remedies. In addition, some patients stop taking the medication voluntarily when they return to the clinic and find that the intraocular pressure has dropped after taking the medication, which may lead to the worsening of glaucoma.
Is intraocular pressure normal after myopia laser surgery? Beware of Glaucoma Risk Factors
Dr. Liu Ruiling said that intraocular pressure is the main risk factor for glaucoma. Generally, the higher the intraocular pressure, the higher the chance of developing glaucoma. However, there are also cases of glaucoma caused by normal intraocular pressure. Especially in recent years, laser surgery for myopia has become popular. The thickness, curvature and biological stress characteristics of the cornea may be changed due to the surgery, resulting in falsely low intraocular pressure and giving patients a false sense of security.
Intraocular pressure is related to the normal metabolism of the “aqueous humor” in the eyeball. Dr. Liu Ruiling pointed out that when the elimination path of aqueous humor is blocked, or the normal metabolic function is disrupted, causing the amount of aqueous humor to be higher than what the optic nerve can bear, there will be Optic neuropathy producing glaucoma. Moderate to high myopia (myopia exceeding 500-600 degrees) and a small number of medications may cause increased intraocular pressure.
Dr. Liu Ruiling said that glaucoma is divided into different types, which can be mainly divided into “primary” and “secondary”. Primary glaucoma is further divided into open angle glaucoma and angle atresia. The risk factors for primary open glaucoma are high intraocular pressure, family history, age older than 40, moderate to high myopia, hypotension, and African ethnicity; the risk factors for primary closed glaucoma are female gender, hyperopia, Asians, and age. Older than 60 years old, family history, short stature; risk factors for subsequent glaucoma are history of eye injuries, medications, complications of other eye diseases, and eye surgery.
People with moderate to high myopia are in danger! Doctor: Prevent glaucoma from childhood
Dr. Liu Ruiling reminded that factors such as intraocular pressure, ethnicity, family history, and body shape are mostly innate. To prevent the occurrence of glaucoma, we must still focus on the prevention of myopia to avoid the occurrence of moderate to high myopia. Increased myopia will lead to a longer distance between the front and back of the eyeballs. Thinning, eventually causing irregular structural changes, affecting the normal metabolic function of the optic nerve and reducing the blood supply in the eyeball.
Dr. Liu Ruiling pointed out that looking forward to the future health of Taiwanese people, more attention should be paid to reducing the risk of glaucoma in the next generation. It is recommended to prevent myopia from infancy. Children under 3 years old should avoid using electronic products such as mobile phones and tablets. It is also recommended to raise Make it a habit for children to engage in outdoor activities. Moderate exposure to the sun can help prevent myopia. Once you are diagnosed with glaucoma, you should cooperate with your doctor to receive regular treatment and return for follow-up visits on time to avoid further deterioration of your vision.
Is the intraocular pressure still going up and down after applying eye drops? Treatment options for glaucoma
Dr. Lu Dawen, director of the glaucoma department at the Tri-Service General Hospital and chairman of the Taiwan Glaucoma Care Association, said that glaucoma treatment methods include local eye drops, laser, surgery and other multiple treatments. Whether the treatment is stable will greatly affect the risk of vision deterioration. Foreign studies have pointed out , the proportion of vision deterioration among patients without stable treatment within five years was more than twice that of the treatment group.
Dr. Lu Dawen pointed out that eye drops are recommended for initial glaucoma treatment, but up to three-quarters of patients will stop taking the medicine on their own and have poor compliance. The main reason is that eye drops often cause discomfort such as redness and itching, and must be taken at a fixed time every day. It is easy to forget, take them only when you think about it, or ignore them because they find it troublesome. Even if some patients have used eye drops for many years, their intraocular pressure still fluctuates. , control is unstable, then it is recommended to consider surgical treatment.
Dr. Lu Dawen explained that the traditional surgical method for glaucoma is trabeculectomy, which has been developed for more than 50 years. It has a large wound, a long recovery period, and has an obvious effect of lowering intraocular pressure. Today’s minimally invasive glaucoma surgery has a small wound and a short recovery period. It is highly safe and can achieve a certain intraocular pressure lowering effect. It is suitable for patients who cannot effectively control intraocular pressure with eye drops or laser treatment, have unbearable side effects of drugs, and are unable to stabilize intraocular pressure after repeated drug and surgical treatments.
Will I go blind after glaucoma surgery? Early control reduces optic nerve deterioration
Many people lack the correct understanding of glaucoma and even mistakenly believe that “glaucoma surgery will cause blindness.” Dr. Lu Dawen explained that some patients delayed treatment or did not take medication regularly, which led to the progression of glaucoma to the final stage before undergoing surgery. In the end, it still caused incurable diseases. The vision loss that can be restored has evolved into the myth that blindness will occur after glaucoma surgery. As long as it is controlled early and treated in cooperation with a doctor, the deterioration of the optic nerve can still be reduced and the intraocular pressure can be stabilized within an appropriate range.
Dr. Liu Ruiling reminded that according to the analysis of the health insurance database, only about a quarter of glaucoma patients diagnosed for the first time continue to take medication, and the proportion of patients who stop treatment midway is as high as more than 90% within one year. In Taiwan, where medical accessibility is developed, , and patients should understand the importance of continued treatment through correct glaucoma health education propaganda. Once you are diagnosed with glaucoma, there is no need to panic, be anxious, or depressed. As long as you receive treatment on time and track changes in the condition regularly, you can consult with your doctor if you feel any discomfort to adjust your medication to stabilize changes in intraocular pressure.
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