Glaucoma Effects example essay topic

In the next several pages will be explained the cures, medication, and procedure of detecting glaucoma. The reasons this was wrote on glaucoma, was because I have always wondered why these few people that have glaucoma get to use a illegal drug (marijuana). I also was curious on what glaucoma exactly is and when it could effect me, or any of my family members. Glaucoma is a disease that effects your vision or optic nerves. Most people do not know that they have it until its to late to properly treat it. Glaucoma does not usually effect young children.

It doesn't even usually effect the ages twelve through twenty. Around the age of twenty one is when you should go and get your first check up. Many people do not get yearly check ups and that's how it gets out of control. Glaucoma effects only 2% of the population. If people over the age of 21 would go and get themselves checked then most people would not have to deal with the major effect which is blindness. Yet many people fail to understand the importance of getting checked.

You can get checked by any optimist, all you have to do is call them and set up an appointment. What is glaucoma, you might be asking your self. Well as you know glaucoma is a disease that effects your optic nerves, or in other words your vision. The eye is a round looking figure filled with fluid. When the fluid in the eye increases, so does the pressure.

The body's normal approach to increase of pressure is a small opening in the anterior chamber, in the bottom. When glaucoma forms, the opening in the angle will not open so the pressure will just build up. There is also another way this happens and that is if to much fluid is being moved into the eye and it can not get it out fast enough Its sort of in a way like pumping up a tire and over inflating it. Glaucoma can develop anywhere in between a day and years.

There are no symptoms in the beginning of glaucoma, but as it continues to get worst, so do your chances of losing your vision. There are two common types of glaucoma. One type is called open angle glaucoma. Open angle or chronic open angle happens when gradual pressure builds up in the eye.

Damage occurs to the optic nerve. The patient is usually unaware of the changes. Over 90% of everyone that has glaucoma has this type of glaucoma. Another type of glaucoma is closed angle glaucoma. This type builds up pressure in the eye rapidly. Another name for this is acute angle glaucoma.

This type usually happens with people that have a narrow anterior chamber angles. The fluid in the eye cannot escape and pushes the iris forward. When this happens to people they experience blurred vision, halos around lights, nausea, and vomiting. If the pressure is not relieved soon the patient, blindness will result in days.

Glaucoma is caused by a few different things. The front portion of the eye is filled with fluid called aqueous humor. The fluid in the eye is always circulating in and out of the eye. When glaucoma develops it clogs the fluid and pressure builds up. After a period of time this pressure can damage the optic nerves in the eye.

Glaucoma can be detected and prevented a few different ways. Careful measurement of the eye pressure on a regular basis. The pressure is measured by an instrument called a t orometer. The back of the eye is observed through a ophthalmoscope, to make sure the nerve is healthy. The drainage angle is also inspected by a special type of contact lens. The patient's side vision may also be tested.

People over the age of 20 should be tested frequently. The main problem with glaucoma is that there is no side effects in the early stages, unless you measure your eye pressure frequently. There are certain types of people that should watch for glaucoma and they are stated next. If you are 45 years old and have not been checked.

If someone in your family has or had glaucoma. If you have high intraocular pressure. If you or a family member has diabetes. If you have high blood pressure. If you have nearsightedness. If you use steroids regularly or for a long term of time or you have had a previous eye injury.

There are several ways to treat glaucoma. The damage That is done by glaucoma cannot be reversed. The goal is to reduce the pressure, so the healthy nerves can receive nourishment. When people receive treatment most people stop taking their medicine because of side effects. Some of the side effects maybe stinging in the eye, blurred vision, and headaches. This is the reason why most people want surgery.

Eye drops can be a type of treatment. You must take them regularly and continuously. One type of eye drop is called Latanoprost. You only have to use this once a day. This is a new drug and even though it is a good drug, no drug has no side effects. This new drug has a weird side effect.

It turns your eye blue in color. Dr. Alan Jordan says "Were it not for this side effect, Latanprost would seem to be the ideal glaucoma medication". This new drug seems to work the better than the last eye drop and has less side effects. The eye coloring only has effected 30 people out of 200. The way that it changes the color is a increase of melanin.

Which is a natural pigment that imparts color. Another method of treatment is laser surgery. This is usually a option if the eye drops aren't working. A laser is used to enlarge the drain, but in angle closure, the laser creates a hole in the iris.

Yet there is another option, operative surgery. This creates a new drainage channel through which the aqueous fluid can leave the eye. Technology has greatly improved for medication and surgery. Very few people need surgery. Earlier that glaucoma is diagnosed, the more effective treatment is.

Lately there is a new drug out that curbs the action of NOS-2. This helps slow down the loss of retinal ganglion cells. Ganglion cells are the nerve cells to your sight. This new drug is trying to lower pressure and prevent the damage to the nerve cells. All other drugs don't stop the lost of vision and this new drug may do just do that. Researchers are hoping that this new drug will help the people who the other drugs don't work on.

In some states there is yet another treatment. Some people in the world believe this is wrong, but it is the usage of marijuana. Marijuana has a active chemical that lowers the pressure in the eye. (Wallace L. M Award) Smoking marijuana causes a fall in pressure in 65% of users. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (1992) stated: "There is evidence that marijuana (or its components), taken orally or by inhalation can lower intraocular pressure. However, there are no conclusive studies to date to indicate that marijuana (or its components) can safely and effectively lower intraocular pressure enough to prevent optic nerve damage...

The dose of marijuana necessary to produce a clinically relevant effect in the short term appears to produce an unacceptable level of undesirable side effects such as euphoria, systemic hypotension, and / or dry eye and conjunctival hyperemia in the majority of glaucoma patients in whom the drug has been carefully studied. No data have been published on studies of long-term ocular and systemic effects of the use of marijuana by glaucoma patients". Studies show that marijuana use doesn't make any advantages over any other treatments. The first people that determined marijuana lowered pressure was Hepler and Frank. Hepler and Petrus did more experimenting and came up with that THC lowers the IOP, a lot more than normal treatments. One patient had a reduction from 40 mmhg to 10 mmhg in one eye and 35 mmhg to 15 mmhg in the other eye.

What needs to be determined is if eating or smoking marijuana lowers pressure the most. It also needs to be determined if there is a safer way, such as a inhaler. Before using this treatment you should consider other treatments and relate your blood pressure and IOP measuring because tolerance is a development. After reviewing this paper a decision was made, if I ever developed glaucoma I would use eye drops as a treatment, for a few reasons. One is because it is the safest of all treatments and second it is the simplest. My next option would be to smoke or eat marijuana because it is known that it is a effective way to treat glaucoma.