# High eye pressure



## Shauna The Dead (Jun 16, 2005)

Anybody else ever had high eye pressure? Any young people? Or glaucoma? :um Cause I just found out that I have high eye pressure, which could lead to glaucoma. :afr Now I'm terrified I'm going blind! :cry :cry :cry :cry :cry :cry :cry :cry :cry :cry :cry


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## Drella (Dec 4, 2004)

Glaucoma isn't anything to be afraid of. You just put drops into your eyes everyday, and that's that. My mom has it.


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## SilentProphet (Jun 1, 2007)

Never heard of it. Start smoking weed though and you will be fine!


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## SilentProphet (Jun 1, 2007)

Wait, did they use that machine on you that poofs that air into your eyes and said that?


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## Shauna The Dead (Jun 16, 2005)

*Re: re: High eye pressure*



SilentProphet said:


> Never heard of it. Start smoking weed though and you will be fine!


Why would I be fine then?



Drella said:


> Glaucoma isn't anything to be afraid of. You just put drops into your eyes everyday, and that's that. My mom has it.


Easy for you to say. My papaw has it too, but he's alot older than me. I heard it was rare for young people & there was more of a risk for blindness if you get those problems at a young age cause of having the pressure for a longer period of time :cry :cry :cry :cry :cry :cry


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## Shauna The Dead (Jun 16, 2005)

*Re: re: High eye pressure*



SilentProphet said:


> Wait, did they use that machine on you that poofs that air into your eyes and said that?


Yes :cry


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## SilentProphet (Jun 1, 2007)

Cause smoking weed prevents Glaucoma. Dries your eyes out!! Start smoking! LOL maybe the eye doctor was just a quack though! You worry too much about things STILL!


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## SilentProphet (Jun 1, 2007)

I need to go back to the eye doctor too! been years for me. I need new glasses that i will never wear! LOL hated that air machine though last time!


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## Drella (Dec 4, 2004)

*Re: re: High eye pressure*



Little Miss Scare-All said:


> Easy for you to say.


No, not really. 
My mom has had it for as long as I can remember. She was around my age (maybe even younger) when she was first diagnosed, and she's perfectly fine. She takes her drops, and that's all. She is 53 now, and she yet to go blind. You haven't even been diagnosed with glaucoma, so just take things one step at a time. Each time I have my eyes examined, I'm told that my pressure seems high. I will probably get glaucoma eventually. It's something I accept, and realize that it's something I will simply have to deal with down the road. My father has eye difficulties too, so hopefully I won't go blind in one eye like him, and have to have an implant.


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## Slothrop (Aug 11, 2007)

> Never heard of it. Start smoking weed though and you will be fine!


Let's make a group donation for a half ounce...! 

But seriously, hopefully it doesn't develop into anything serious.


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## Shauna The Dead (Jun 16, 2005)

*Re: re: High eye pressure*



SilentProphet said:


> Cause smoking weed prevents Glaucoma. Dries your eyes out!! Start smoking! LOL maybe the eye doctor was just a quack though! You worry too much about things STILL!


I have smoked it ...and then after that I get this problem. So apparently that's BS.



SilentProphet said:


> I need to go back to the eye doctor too! been years for me. I need new glasses that i will never wear! LOL hated that air machine though last time!


Did it blow air out on you? Cause if it did, if it's like the machine I was at...you must have high eye pressure too. She said it would only blow out air if the pressure was like over 20 or 21.



Drella said:


> Little Miss Scare-All said:
> 
> 
> > Easy for you to say.
> ...


Really...how old are you/how old was she when she was diagnosed? I didn't realize she got it at a young age.


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## SilentProphet (Jun 1, 2007)

I don't remember what it did! I was fine or else the eye doctor would have said something  i was a heavy pot smoker at the time though! I only smoke once in a blue moon nowadays. All i got was a new pair of glasses. :sigh


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## Shauna The Dead (Jun 16, 2005)

*Re: re: High eye pressure*



SilentProphet said:


> I don't remember what it did! I was fine or else the eye doctor would have said something  i was a heavy pot smoker at the time though! I only smoke once in a blue moon nowadays. All i got was a new pair of glasses. :sigh


You're lucky then.


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## SilentProphet (Jun 1, 2007)

LOL why? that was like 8 years ago. Who knows what i could have now! I don't think about it though. Even if the doctor told me something like that i wouldn't act like it's the end of the world! You act like you are going to go blind tomorrow! RELAX! a few eye operations with sharp objects and you will be fine :kiss


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## SilentProphet (Jun 1, 2007)

^^^ i'm kidding though about that! No eye operations! seriously just relax!


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## Zephyr (Nov 8, 2003)

The eye pressure thing is called a tonometry test, which is indeed used to assess risk of glaucoma. The bad news is that glaucoma is asymptomatic in its early stages, and by the time it becomes symptomatic, can be tough to treat (just ask former MLB player Kirby Puckett). The good news is that you can be evaluated yearly for its signs, since they can tell you have it before vision problems show up. It's not nearly so refractory to treatment in the early stages.


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## SilentProphet (Jun 1, 2007)

Awww man Shauna  i guess it really is bad news :sigh I'd still like you though if you were blind!


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## GraceLikeRain (Nov 9, 2003)

Go to the eye doctor. It will ease your worries.


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## FairleighCalm (May 20, 2007)

My mom had high eye pressure for years and took drops. But now her pressure is normal. :stu


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## Spangles Muldoon (Jan 5, 2005)

Shauna, I agree with GraceLikeRain:



GraceLikeRain said:


> Go to the eye doctor. It will ease your worries.


You should see an ophthalmologist (who specializes in diseases of the eye) rather than an optometrist (who specializes in corrective lenses).

Here's an informative page from the National Institutes of Health:

http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/glaucoma/ ... _facts.asp

Note, in particular:



> Increased eye pressure means you are at risk for glaucoma, but does not mean you have the disease. A person has glaucoma only if the optic nerve is damaged. If you have increased eye pressure but no damage to the optic nerve, you do not have glaucoma. However, you are at risk. Follow the advice of your eye care professional....
> 
> Not every person with increased eye pressure will develop glaucoma. Some people can tolerate higher eye pressure better than others. Also, a certain level of eye pressure may be high for one person but normal for another.
> 
> ...


The tonometry test you were administered is the least reliable test for glaucoma. As the paragraphs above indicate, you need to follow up with a comprehensive dilated eye exam.

By the way, marijuana does not prevent glaucoma. Although marijuana reduces eye pressure, it is less effective in doing so than several prescribed medications. Also, marijuana does nothing to prevent optic nerve damage. At best, marijuana can provide temporary relief from the symptoms of glaucoma, but a sustained benefit would require smoking 4,000 joints per year.


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## PlayerOffGames (Mar 19, 2007)

:squeeze


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## Shauna The Dead (Jun 16, 2005)

GraceLikeRain said:


> Go to the eye doctor. It will ease your worries.


Umm I already did, otherwise I wouldn't have known about this. I think I'm gonna go to a different one though, the one my mom & papaw goes to...she treats my papaw for glaucoma.



moksha said:


> :squeeze


thanks



Spangles Muldoon said:


> Shauna, I agree with GraceLikeRain:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks...
I would smoke that much if I knew for a FACT it would help me but I'm sure there's no guarantee. And then I'd probably get lung cancer or something so either way I'd lose. :sigh Sucks to be me.



Zephyr said:


> The eye pressure thing is called a tonometry test, which is indeed used to assess risk of glaucoma. The bad news is that glaucoma is asymptomatic in its early stages, and by the time it becomes symptomatic, can be tough to treat (just ask former MLB player Kirby Puckett). The good news is that you can be evaluated yearly for its signs, since they can tell you have it before vision problems show up. It's not nearly so refractory to treatment in the early stages.


Thanks

Also does anyone know if an eye transplant would possibly cure blindness in a person who went blind from glaucoma? :afr


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## Spangles Muldoon (Jan 5, 2005)

Shauna,

First of all, at your age, it's extremely unlikely that you have glaucoma. At worst, you are at risk for developing glaucoma in the future. If a visit with an ophthalmologist (not an optometrist) confirms this risk, then eye drops (usually Lumigan) will likely prevent the development of glaucoma.

To answer your question, though, eye transplants are not yet a realistic cure for glaucoma. However, there are laser surgeries (uncomfortable, but not painful) which relieve the pressure in the eye and prevent glaucoma from developing.


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## Shauna The Dead (Jun 16, 2005)

*Re: re: High eye pressure*



Spangles Muldoon said:


> Shauna,
> 
> First of all, at your age, it's extremely unlikely that you have glaucoma. At worst, you are at risk for developing glaucoma in the future. If a visit with an ophthalmologist (not an optometrist) confirms this risk, then eye drops (usually Lumigan) will likely prevent the development of glaucoma.
> 
> To answer your question, though, eye transplants are not yet a realistic cure for glaucoma. However, there are laser surgeries (uncomfortable, but not painful) which relieve the pressure in the eye and prevent glaucoma from developing.


they can do surgery for actual glaucoma too can't they? if the eye drops don't work.
it's not that unlikely...it's definitely possible to get glaucoma at a young age. i have at least found another girl --on another forum I go to--that has the same problem I do. I guess it is kinda rare, but some young people do have high eye pressure & are at more of a risk for getting glaucoma.


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## Spangles Muldoon (Jan 5, 2005)

Shauna,

Damage to the optic nerve, caused by glaucoma, is irreversible. The ganglion cells in the optic nerve, which are responsible for transmission of information from the retina to the brain, simply die. These dead cells cannot be rejuvenated. Even replacement of the eye would do nothing to recover functionality of the optic nerve.

It's important that you get that comprehensive dilated eye exam as soon as possible. Glaucoma is asymptomatic in its early stages. By the time vision loss becomes evident, irreversible damage to the optic nerve is likely already to have occurred. If left untreated, glaucoma can lead to total blindness

Yes, you are correct that people in their twenties, or even younger, can develop glaucoma. Juvenile-onset glaucoma is also called congenital open-angle glaucoma. My personal interest in glaucoma derives from the fact that glaucoma is sometimes a precursor to diabetes, which runs on both sides of my family. Therefore, the results of the tonometry test, which I have done every time I go to the eye doctor, are of special significance to me. So far, I have exhibited no signs of glaucoma or diabetes. 

You're lucky to have detected the pressure in your eyes at such a young age. Even if your ophthalmologist determines that you are at risk for developing glaucoma, eye drops alone are likely to prevent the development of glaucoma. Even if eye drops don't work for you, painless laser surgery is almost certain to work.


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## themockingbird (Aug 19, 2007)

i'm sorry to hear this, but how do you know you have high eye pressure? my eyes are always tired and hurts a bit when i touch it. im nto sure if thats eye pressure... what are your symptoms?


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## Shauna The Dead (Jun 16, 2005)

*Re: re: High eye pressure*



Spangles Muldoon said:


> Shauna,
> 
> Damage to the optic nerve, caused by glaucoma, is irreversible. The ganglion cells in the optic nerve, which are responsible for transmission of information from the retina to the brain, simply die. These dead cells cannot be rejuvenated. Even replacement of the eye would do nothing to recover functionality of the optic nerve.
> 
> ...


Thanks...I'm getting the dilated eye exam Wednesday. I found out my pressure #s though...and the good thing is, the 2nd time my eye pressure was only 20, so that really isn't high, and my mom & papaw's eye doctor said those machines are unreliable. It was 23 in one eye & 24 the first time...then they had to do it 2 more times and it was just 20. So something doesn't sound right there...I don't think it would go down from 24 to 20 within 10 seconds.



themockingbird said:


> i'm sorry to hear this, but how do you know you have high eye pressure? my eyes are always tired and hurts a bit when i touch it. im nto sure if thats eye pressure... what are your symptoms?


You really don't necessarily know...there aren't usually any symptoms with glaucoma, you just need to get your eyes checked at least once a year so you can find out if there's anything wrong going on in your eyes. My eyes have been hurting some lately too though. :sigh


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## Shauna The Dead (Jun 16, 2005)

I had my dilated eye exam today...she said my optic nerve looks good right now. She even took a picture and showed me both my eyes' optic nerves and then showed me one with glaucoma...and mine looked quite a bit different than that one.


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## SilentProphet (Jun 1, 2007)

See! worried over nothing again. All your doctors just like scaring you i think! At least you are going and getting all this stuff checked out (dentist,eye doctors,doctor) and making sure your ok! Now no more doctors and try relaxing for a bit before you drive yourself crazy again thinking you caught Avian flu or something! Stop looking up diseases online that you think you have!


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