Prevention of Blindness Society...

MACULAR DEGENERATION

NETWORK NEWS

FEBRUARY 2000

A Thorough Review of Glaucoma

Those who attended the Macular Degeneration Network’s Saturday, January 22 event at Sibley Memorial Hospital received a very thorough review of glaucoma from Douglas Gaasterland, M.D.  This newsletter will give you a taste of this outstanding program.  For more information on glaucoma, you can attend Dr. Andrew Adelson’s February 16^th lecture at Holiday Park Multi-Service Senior Center in Wheaton, Maryland.

Dr. Gaasterland informed the crowd that glaucoma is the second cause of legal blindness, and first among African-Americans.  He noted that approximately 80,000 Americans are legally blind due to glaucoma.  Age-related macular degeneration is the number one cause of legal blindness.

Dr. Gaasterland explained that the eye needs nutrition—like all parts of the body.  The lens of the eye is composed of living cells that require sugar and amino acids.  These nutrients flow through the eye to meet metabolic needs.  The crystal clear fluid that contains the sugar and amino acids must come into the eye and then drain.  If the fluid can’t drain properly, it creates pressure in the eyeball.  Glaucoma is a problem that accompanies high pressure in the eye.  However, there are some people that have an unusually high eye pressure and do not have glaucoma—they simply can stand higher levels of pressure.  Similarly, many people with high pressures don’t have glaucoma.

Dr. Gaasterland sited risk factors for glaucoma:

• Age -- like arthritis, AMD, and cataracts, glaucoma is also age-related
• Inter-ocular pressure -- 10-20 mm is normal eye pressure
• Race -- African-Americans are twice as likely to become blind from glaucoma

If you think you have glaucoma, a doctor will look at the following things to make the diagnosis:

• Pressure level
• Vision test -- testing central vision as well as side-to-side vision
• Scrutinize the optic nerve, looking for abnormalities.

Dr. Gaasterland noted that there is on-going research on new medications.  Researchers are developing new drugs as well as improving old drugs—to make the optic nerve stronger.  There is also research going on in genetics.  The search is on for what in our DNA programs some of us for glaucoma.  Investigators are also currently looking at what effect race has on the various treatments -- surgeries, medications, etc.

© 2000 Prevention of Blindness Society of the Metropolitan Area, Washington, DC. All Rights Reserved.