(LA Times) — Medication to treat ocular hypertension may drastically cut the frequency of developing a common form of glaucoma, a study finds.
A letter released today in the journal Archives of Ophthamology reports on a study of 1,636 people who were randomly assigned to a group that received medical treatment for ocular hypertension or to a group that was observed. After following up with the groups for an average 7.5 years, the observation group was offered medication, and both groups were followed again for an average 5.5 years.
Ocular hypertension is a condition characterized by higher-than-normal pressure inside the eye, an optic nerve that looks normal, and visual field testing that turns up no signs of glaucoma. It’s considered a risk factor for developing primary open angle glaucoma, in which pressure in the eye leads to slow vision loss.
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I was diagnosed with increased ocular pressure (due to life changing stress) at age 21 and was prescribed PILOCARPINE; and continued using it for 15 years with many side effects. The drops have a negative effect to thyroid and permanently damages (decreased pupil to pinpoint size). The drops acts like dilator drops and my vision was blurred for 6 hours and my eyes felt strained during those 6 hours.. I changed to a new drug on the market, TIMOPTIC, that did not have the side effects of pilocarpine. But after being on the drug for about 5 years, I began experiencing side effects that the doctors did not associate with TIMOPTIC until 17 years later (severe migraines, severe sinus infections, circulatory problems, respiratory problems (COPD); conditions I did not have before taking Timoptic. I stopped taking the drug, and my eye pressure dropped 10 points. I was also advised by my Doctor that all drops eventually stop working; also if you add too much medication to the eye, your pressure may increase instead of decreasing. These drugs can be very harmful (especially to over 60’s patients). I have been off the eye drops for almost 10 years (i’m now 62). I have permanent side effects from Timoptic but my quality of life has improved. Sometimes we fear losing our eyesight without having knowledge of the severe consequences of modern medicine.