Ocular
Hypertension
Ocular hypertension is a
condition in which fluid pressure inside the eye is higher than
normal, but at the same time the optic nerve is normal and
there is no visual field loss.
An elevated intraocular
pressure is the most important risk factor for another condition:
glaucoma. If your ocular pressure is between 10 mmHg and 21 mmHg, then
that is considered normal. This means that if you have ocular
hypertension, there is a great possibility that you will develop
glaucoma, too.
How To Detect It
You should visit
your ophthalmologist to be evaluated and find out if you actually
suffer from this eye condition or if you have any other condition
as consequence of this. During your visit, your physician
will ask the following:
-
Your past
ocular history
- It is important to know if you have had eye pain, eye
redness, headaches, any ocular disease in the past, cataracts, diabetic
retinopathy, any ocular surgery like (including a refractive
procedure, ocular trauma, or a surgery, just to mention a few.
-
Any
medication you are taking
Some Risk Factors
 - Being
over
50 years old - (Younger people can also suffer from high intraocular
pressure, too)
- Family history of
glaucoma
- History of elevated
intraocular pressure
- Visual field loss,
even from glaucoma
- Being an African
American descent
- Obesity
- Alcohol
- Smoking
- History of diabetes
mellitus, hypertension, headaches (migraine)
- Cardiovascular
disease
Some Statistics
in the United States suggest that:
-
glaucoma and macular degeneration are the
main causes of irreversible blindness
-
only 50% of people
having glaucoma know they have the condition
-
Between 4 to 10% of
people over 40 years will have intraocular pressure, and they will not
feel any symptoms
-
Some patients can
have an increase of intraocular pressure if they are lying down, even
if they have a normal ocular pressure when they are standing or sitting
Even
if you don't feel any symptoms, it is very important to have your
ocular pressure checked to be sure that everything is fine. Remember,
prevention
is first, don't you think?
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