Glaucoma
Ankylosing Spondylitis
Timolol Eye Drops
Question
Hi,
1) I am a 24 year old white female, no diabetes, normal blood pressure.
2) Only systemic disease is Ankylosing Spondylitis (a form of arthritis).
3) Was told I have Glaucoma, possibly Normal Tension Glaucoma, was also told I have double vision and binocular dissonance.
4) No eye surgeries
5) Prescribed Timolol to treat glaucoma.
6) Have worn glasses for nearsightedness since the age of ten, now wear glasses with prism cut in by vision therapist who told me I have a binocular vision problem.
7) My complaint is in both eyes, with the right eye vision worse than in the left eye.
8) My chief complaint is since November, 2010, I have gone through periods of blurred vision, I cannot read small print, have to magnify 200% to use computer, my vision is overall very poor.
20/200 in both eyes last time my eyes were checked. My ophthalmologist says glaucoma, can't do anything to help me. This "vision therapy specialist", an optometrist, gave me these really expensive prism glasses but they don't help my vision. It is still very poor.
I want to know what's wrong with me and I want to fix it. I don't want to be blind. I'm also uninsured and only have part time work because I can't drive due to my eyesight. This has been going on for ten months now.
Thank you for any help you can provide!
Thank you for looking into my case.
Answer
Thanks for your Question
Myopia is one of the risk factor of glaucoma. Glaucoma is a silent condition in which you won't recognize that you have it because glaucoma affects the peripheral vision first. Glaucoma causes death of optic nerve fibers and these fibers can't be regenerated again. Unless you treat it with medications or surgeries , your vision will keep deteriorating.
Eye drops for glaucoma will only stabilize the condition and vision and it won't help to regenerate the dead fibers.
Normal intraocular pressure is between 10 to 21 mmHg. Timolol eye drops should keep your IOP within this range. Some people may require more than one medication. Eye drops for glaucoma won't cure glaucoma, it will only reduce intraocular pressure. You have to use it twice a day for life and try not to miss any dose.
In case eye drops failed to reduce Intraocular pressure, there is the surgical option. Regular OCT and visual field test should be done in order to make sure that your condition is stabilized by the eye drops.
Prism eyeglasses is used mainly to eliminate double vision.If you don't feel any improvement with prism eyeglasses, so there is no need to wear it.
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