Glaucoma

[RaptorWizard]

The eye doctor diagnosed my right eye as having high pressure above normal for my age (19) - and said it was an early sign of glaucoma.

Can you folks on the forum inform me on how this disease progresses and some strategies I could use to counter its developments?

 

[Sniffles]

Usually doctors can prescribe some eye drops that help decrease the pressure.

 

[Patches]

I don't mean to sound condescending here... But isn't this a question you should be asking the qualified professional who diagnosed the glaucoma and spent 8+ years and thousands of dollars on an education so that he could answer things like this? Somehow an internet forum full of strangers talking about pop psychology doesn't seem like the appropriate venue for medical advice.

Which means I'm going to wildly jump to the conclusion that you're looking for an answer that the doctor wouldn't give you (save for a select few states) to justify the smoking of the marijuanas. In which case, Dr. Panda, M.D. says 420 BLAZE IT MOTHERFUCKER.* Otherwise, go back to the doctor and get some damn eye drops. Fun fact: When you put the eyedrops in your eyeball, you'll taste them in your mouth. And glaucoma eyesdrops taste gnarly as fuck.


*Dr. Panda M.D. is not actually a licensed physician, but any attempt to accept medical advice from an anthropomorphic panda on an internet forum is probably grounds for removal from the gene pool anyway. Dr. Panda M.D. also does not condone the frequent use of drugs or alcohol in people who have an actively growing corpus callosum, as frequent marijuana use can decelerate brain development. The corpus callosum is a really important neural network between the left and right hemispheres of your brain that continues to grow into your mid-20's.

 

[Lexicon]

The eye doctor diagnosed my right eye as having high pressure above normal for my age (19) - and said it was an early sign of glaucoma.

Can you folks on the forum inform me on how this disease progresses and some strategies I could use to counter its developments?

Did he actually say an "early sign" or did he say a "higher risk" for glaucoma?

Some people's optic discs are naturally a bit more 'cupped' than others- they're under higher pressure. "Intraocular hypertension." This does not always mean you're going to end up with glaucoma. My files say "glaucoma suspect," for this reason, actually- though my vision is great. My doctor said to just be sure to not miss any annual checkups, to keep tabs on the intraocular hypertension. If it doesn't increase, then it's likely just how you're naturally built. If it does increase, they'd prescribe drops &/or other medications to lower the pressure. The cupped part of the optic disc is the "blind spot" in glaucoma patients. The more cupping there is, obviously the more likely you are to experience blindness.

Some medications can actually cause increased intraocular pressure, so always be sure to inform doctors of what you may be taking regularly.

If your doctor didn't suggest any treatments, then I imagine you're fine. Just don't miss the annual checkups.
If you're uncertain, contact the doctor you saw and address any concerns. Or get a second opinion from another opthamologist.

 

[RaptorWizard]

Did he actually say an "early sign" or did he say a "higher risk" for glaucoma?

Ya, I may have used the wrong words there; I do believe the doctor actually referred to it as me being at risk - so that's good tertiary Ti there of yours to clear that up.

Some people's optic discs are naturally a bit more 'cupped' than others- they're under higher pressure. "Intraocular hypertension." This does not always mean you're going to end up with glaucoma. My files say "glaucoma suspect," for this reason, actually- though my vision is great. My doctor said to just be sure to not miss any annual checkups, to keep tabs on the intraocular hypertension. If it doesn't increase, then it's likely just how you're naturally built. If it does increase, they'd prescribe drops &/or other medications to lower the pressure. The cupped part of the optic disc is the "blind spot" in glaucoma patients. The more cupping there is, obviously the more likely you are to experience blindness.

My eyes are indeed cupped in an awkward way, so ya, maybe it's not too much to worry about, as long as the pressure like you say doesn't increase upon the next checkup.

Some medications can actually cause increased intraocular pressure, so always be sure to inform doctors of what you may be taking regularly.

I actually did a bit of research into it and apparently one of the 2 medications I'm on (wellbutrin) can under rare circumstances increase eye pressure and potentially cause glaucoma.

If your doctor didn't suggest any treatments, then I imagine you're fine. Just don't miss the annual checkups.
If you're uncertain, contact the doctor you saw and address any concerns. Or get a second opinion from another opthamologist.

You're probably right; this may not be an immediate concern - I am however going to check with the medicine doctor and see if I can get off wellbutrin. Anyway, thanks for the help.

 

[INTP]

Smoke weed everyday.