Care For Your Elder

The most common type of glaucoma is called chronic open-angle glaucoma (COAG) increases greatly with age and accounts for 80% of all the types of glaucoma. COAG oftentimes runs in families but may not affect all family members. Many times COAG skips generations. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the elderly affecting 3% of all elderly people.  People of African descent are 3-4 times more likely to have chronic open-angled glaucoma than whites.

 The angle in open-angle refers to the angle of the drainage tube in the eye.  This tube gradually may become clogged as a person ages and the aqueous fluid in the eye does not drain from the eye properly. Because of this drainage problem within the eye, pressure builds up painlessly and without symptoms. You cannot visibly see any blockage in the tube. Somewhere in the tube there is resistance in the tubing restricting the flow and results in the pressure increase.  This resistance could be caused by a previous eye injury, inflammation, reaction to medications, or just the normal aging process.  The increased pressure causes irreversible optic nerve damage.  Furthermore, since the resulting loss of vision starts on the side (peripherally), people are usually not aware of the problem until the loss is seen in their central visual area and permanent damage has occurred.

Treatments for COAG are best if started as soon as you notice a change in vision to prevent more damage.  The most common treatment is in the form of eye drops.  The eye drops are a blood pressure medication in liquid form that keep the eye pressure lowered by either reducing the amount of fluid produced by the eye or the drops increase the eye’s ability to drain.

Another treatment option comes in the form of oral medication.  These medications tend to have side effects in approximately 50% of the people.  These oral medications are very effective in many cases.

If your elder or you are diagnosed with glaucoma there are some medications that should be avoided. As a general rule, people with glaucoma can safely use most medications. However, there are two common types of drugs that should be avoided.

• Cold and allergy medication -People with angle-closure glaucoma should avoid taking over-the-counter cold and allergy medications.  These drugs can cause the pupils to dilate and, in rare instances, can cause people with chronic angle-closure glaucoma to have an attack of acute angle-closure glaucoma. This could lead to an increase in eye pressure.
• Corticosteroids - Corticosteroids are used to treat inflammations. If used for prolonged periods, they may raise eye pressure in people who suffer from any form of glaucoma.

As always a yearly eye exam for your elder is the best preventative measure you can take to help them keep their vision.

Tags: Chronic Open-Angle Glaucoma, eye glaucoma, glaucoma, glaucoma disease, glaucoma eye disease, glaucoma signs, open angle glaucoma, signs of glaucoma