Glaucoma

[Marigold2]

Morning all,
I haven't talked about this before on PT because it has been too depressing for me however... I now have great news. I have glaucoma and I was taking pills, drops and had laser eye surgery several years ago and still my pressue was much too high. Normal pressure is between 10 and 20. Anything over 20 really needs to be checked every six months. Well mine was 32 in the left eye.http://petoftheday.com/i/our_smilies/eek.gif That is really bad. I had the surgery on 11.15 and the pressure in the left eye is down to 22 and the right is 26. I will have my right eye done sometime in March. I just turned 48 this month and I am much too young to go blind. I still have to take my eye drops now three times a day but that is a small price to pay for vision. I hope everyone over 40 gets their eyes checked. This horrible disease gives no warning. And any vision lost cannot be replaced. A yearly exam for everyone over 40 is a must. I feel blessed to live in a time where we do have this laser, it will cost me a fortune but it's better then losing my sight.

[Killearn Kitties]

How frightening! I'm very glad to hear that your first surgery has been so successful. That must be such a weight off your mind. I hope things continue to go well for you.

[Pam]

Marigold2, good for you keeping regular appointments with your ophthalmologist. Glaucoma truly is a silent disease and often is detected only on routine exams. I work for an ophthalmologist and he specializes in glaucoma. We see many people with this disease and the important thing is to be diligent with drops and faithfully keep appointments. I wish you continued improvement!

[Laura's Babies]

I have glaucoma also. There are PILLS you can take too? My eyes hurt all the time and even new glasses are not helping with the pain anymore. The doctor will only give me 1- 30 day supply of the drops and working like I do, I am out more than I have it. I went for tests on my eyes last week and he was late so I got fed up and rescheduled.

I was thinking about asking about that laser eye surgery, thinking that would get rid of the problem... It don't? Obviously not.. Drats!

What is the name of those pills, I'd like to research them on the internet.

[Marigold2]

Hi again,

Yes I worked for an ophthmologist as well. three years. He did my first laser surgery with the argon laser, it hurt like hell. So so painful. This new laser I had on 11/15 uses cool light instead of hot to punch holes in the mesh. A lot less painful. Of course the two Valium I took before hand didn't hurt either. ;) I was on the pills Diamox Sequels 500mg for two years. My glucoma specialist told me that these pills can cause liver and or kidney problems if taken for extended periods. If I was 70 she would leave me on them but being only 48 not such a good idea. I now take my Trusopt three times a day. I have tried all the drops and nothing really helped. Having worked for an eye Dr I was always getting my pressure checked or worring about getting my pressure checked. If your Dr says you are a good canidate for the laser I would recommand it as it will lower the pressure and perhaps you will be able to stop taking any meds, for me that is not the case. Good luck to you. You are in my thoughts. Monica

[Laura's Babies]

Thanks for the info.

[Pam]

Hi again,

Yes I worked for an ophthmologist as well. three years. He did my first laser surgery with the argon laser, it hurt like hell. So so painful. This new laser I had on 11/15 uses cool light instead of hot to punch holes in the mesh. A lot less painful. Of course the two Valium I took before hand didn't hurt either. ;) I was on the pills Diamox Sequels 500mg for two years. My glucoma specialist told me that these pills can cause liver and or kidney problems if taken for extended periods. If I was 70 she would leave me on them but being only 48 not such a good idea. I now take my Trusopt three times a day. I have tried all the drops and nothing really helped. Having worked for an eye Dr I was always getting my pressure checked or worring about getting my pressure checked. If your Dr says you are a good canidate for the laser I would recommand it as it will lower the pressure and perhaps you will be able to stop taking any meds, for me that is not the case. Good luck to you. You are in my thoughts. Monica

I'm glad that you are so knowledgeable about your disease although very sorry that you have this. My position is that of receptionist and medical transcriptionist so I basically learn from what I type and from overhearing conversations. I am familiar with Argon Laser Trabeculoplasty but there is something else called Argon Laser Trabeculectomy. I have never asked what the difference is. Do you know? Laura's Babies, I am so sorry that you are also a glaucoma patient. For anyone reading this thread who is overdue for an appointment with their eye doctor I hope this will prompt you to make that call and schedule an appointment. It is also particularly important for patients with diabetes to maintain regular eye appointments.

[Laura's Babies]

Pam, the material I picked up was on the selective laser trabeculoplasty.. I don't know anything about any of them and I just picked up this brochure at the doctors office a few days ago.

[Marigold2]

Hi Pam,
Like you I also worked front office and I did insurance. Always fun. However the Dr I worked for went into great detail if you had a question, any question was followed by a 10 minute discussion where you learned more then you wanted or needed usually. On Fridays I was often the only person in the office so I had to know a bit about the meds, take all the emergency calls and then pass those messages along to the Dr who would then come in if needed. I remember that the first laser I had three years ago used the hot light, and the new one uses a cool light. Much better. Their actual full name I am not sure about now. Most patient start on drops and their pressure goes down to a nice 15 or 16, not in my case, with pills and drops everyday I was still hitting 32. So scary.
You are so right about people with diabetes. We take our eyesight for granted and it is so precious. Thank you for your kind support. I am sure you are a great comfort to all the patients.
To Laura there are websites you can go to for extra info.

[Pam]

Hi Pam,

the Dr I worked for went into great detail if you had a question, any question was followed by a 10 minute discussion where you learned more then you wanted or needed usually.

HA! For a minute I thought you were describing MY doctor. I think that is the reason that none of us ask him many questions! :) He is like that in the exam room with patients and I suppose that is a good thing, but unfortunately they can't begin to grasp everything he is saying (brief is often better ;) ) and then sometimes he just confuses them. :o It sounds like you were wearing many hats in your office with quite a lot of responsibility!

My doctor used to do his lasers at the eye center in the hospital but he now does them in our office. I have not heard the patients mention having pain from the procedure but maybe by the time they get to me it has subsided?

A large part of our patients are elderly as he also specializes in cataract surgery. I love working with elderly patients as they are so sweet and slow to complain about things. They often send us post cards when they go on vacation and bake us goodies at Christmas. One of our very favorite patients passed away and all of us girls went to his funeral. He and his wife were such special people and we wanted to be there for her and just to let her know how much we would miss him too. I know I am getting away from the theme of this thread :o but it was enjoyable to share some of my experiences with you. I know you have probably had similar experiences. It's been nice chatting with you. :)

[critters]

I've had glaucoma since I was a teen, but I'm wary of surgery. My mom, who also has/had glaucoma, had at least 3 surgeries on her eyes, which seems to have destabilized them. My grandfather "lost" his glaucoma when they took out his cataracts!!

[Rachel]

This has been a very informative thread. My husband has been on drops for over a year. He is religious about using them, but I've never knew that there were specific readings on the pressure. I've simply relied on him to let me know whatever details there are involved. Obviously he isn't keeping me up on those. This morning I going to ask him. I'm willing to bet his doesn't have a clue himself. He's a long way from being an informed patient and I don't blame his doctor.

[Laura's Babies]

I find my doctor in non informative. He tells me nothing but "Here, use these drops and come back in "X" weeks...."

It use to be you could call and get right in to see him in a few days, since Katrina, it takes a month to 6 weeks to get in. (We are only about a hour from New Orleans and a lot of those people have settled up here so ALL the doctors offices are always super booked now.)

[RedHedd]

Marigold, I feel for you. I hope the surgery brings you success with your vision. It's scary getting older and having our eyesight fail and have the docs tell us there's not much they can do about it.

I was just diagnosed with AMD - Age-related Macular Degeneration (the dry type). There is no cure, however the docs at U.C. are reviewing my case extensively. I'm being presented at the cornea clinic on 2/28, which means a whole roomful of top-notch medical students will be examining me. I was impressed with the three I met this past week, one of whom asked questions none of my doctors in my 50+ years on this planet ever asked. He was right on top of what is going on with my eyes and recommended a simple surgery which just might help me stave off blindness for a bit longer.

Marigold is right - please get your eyes checked regularly. If conditions are caught early, with medicine moving as quickly as it is these days, you might be able to stave off blindness.

[cyber-sibes]

Good for you Marigold, I hope your recovery continues to provide improved vision.

[Kalei]

That is just terrible! I am so sorry about what you are going through. And it is so nice to hear that you are doing anything possible to keep your eyesight. I don't know what life would be without being able to see. Keep us updated, I hope you never ever go blind. And keep doing what you're doing to keep your sight. You've definately inspired me with this as that when it comes down to it you can still be a happy person even when you have this terrible problem to deal with. Keep smiling Marigold!

[kimlovescats]

Marigold and others, thank you for sharing your stories and information! I do have diabetes and although my eye "health" seems to checkout "ok" up until now, my vision gets worse. I am due for a check-up again now and will now be certain to get one soon.

Hugs to all who are dealing with these diseases!
Kim

[Marigold2]

Thank you everyone for the kind words and thoughts. What a nice group of people here.