The human eye is one of the most complex organs in the body that can be easily taken for granted. It is an organ that is susceptible to various disorders such as glaucoma, which can eventually lead to impaired vision and blindness. Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness. Currently, there are no cures for glaucoma. There are, however, treatment options such as medications, laser procedures and surgery to slow the effects of glaucoma to prevent the progression of blindness from occurring. Throughout this paper, various treatments for glaucoma will be presented as well as the best nursing practices centered on evidenced based research.
Glaucoma occurs when there is optic nerve damage due to elevated increased ocular pressure. There are several classifications for glaucoma. The two most common classifications are open-angle and angle-closure glaucoma. The open-angle glaucoma is referred, as the chronic glaucoma, where aqueous fluid stays in the eye and builds up, increasing intraocular pressure. In angle closure glaucoma, the drainage pathway is inhibited where the symptoms arise rapidly causing blurred vision, which will then require emergency intervention (Smeltzer, Brunner, & Suddarth, 2010, p.1768-1769). For treatment, doctors’ first choices are pharmaceutical medications. The eyes are very sensitive to many medications. Patients who are diagnosed with glaucoma are prescribed with eye drop medications. Initially prostaglandin analogs such as Xalatan® (Latanoprost) is prescribed. According to Watkinson (2010, p.20), she mentions how Xalatan® has low side effects and helps the aqueous fluid pass through the ciliary body decreasing pressure. The next set of medications given is topical beta-blockers such as...
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...ision. Nurses can then refer patients to rehabilitation services and home care to help them with their ADLs. (Wu, Guo, Xia, Lu, & Xi, 2011, p.806). Losing vision is a horrific thought and to process the fact that blindness is occurring needs tremendous support from family and friends.
Glaucoma has affected many people throughout the world. The treatment for glaucoma has improved tremendously becoming effective and safer. Though there are many options for treating glaucoma there is still no cure to prevent and completely eradicate the disease. Medications are still the best option for treating and controlling glaucoma. Nurses are encouraged to keep patients educated and aware of how to deal with the illness. The eye is such a vital part of human life and to let it deteriorate on its own without cause is something researchers should strive to resolve.
Treatment depends on signs and severity of disease. These treatments include artificial tears, surgery, glucocorticoids, immunomodulators and prisms. Artificial tears can be used for corneal exposure and associated dryness. In severe lid retraction, eyelid surgery can be considered. Orbital congestion and optic neuropathy can be treated by high dose glucocorticoids. Steroid-sparring agents and additional immunomodulators (cyclosporine, azathioprine) are also used. Sometimes, surgical decompression of the orbit is necessary to prevent severe exophthalmos and optic nerve compression. If patients have diplopia secondary to muscle enlargement and fibrosis, prisms and then strabismus surgery are needed after the inflammatory response is controlled. Eyelid surgery is suggested in patients that have severe exposure due to a fibrotic levator
Saxena, Rohit, Diguijay Singh, and Praveen Vashist. “Glaucoma: An Emerging Peril.” Indian Journal of Community Medicine 38.3 (2013): 135-7: Proquest. Web. 7 Jan 2014.
They say that the eyes are the windows into the soul. When damage to the eyes occur it is usually irreversible, meaning that if this does occur, it is definitely best to find a respected ophthalmologist to fix the problem. Meet Karen D. Todd, my aunt and opthamologist at the Florida Eye Institute in Vero Beach, Florida. Dr. Todd practices general ophthalmology with an emphasis on the latest treatments and diagnostic testing for glaucoma.
Glaucoma is a disease of the eye and it is fluid pressure within the eye rises and if the eye is left untreated the patient might lose vision or maybe even blind. But this disease is generally affects both eyes but although one of their eyes may have more severe signs or symptoms then the other eye. When you have glaucoma there are small spaces in the front of the eye and they are called anterior chamber. There is clear liquid that flows in and out of the anterior chamber and the fluid nourishes and bathes nearby the tissues. And if the patient has glaucoma the fluid dose not drain like it should drain but the fluid drains out of the eye. And this may lead to fluid build up and pressure inside the rises of the eye. Unless the pressure is brought down and controlled and the optic nerves and some of the other parts of the eye might become damaged leading to ...
Vision loss from glaucoma is permanent but can be prevented with early detection and treatment. Since the symptoms of the disease are usually unnoticeable, regular eye examination are important especially for persons over the age of 35 and those in high risk group.
Fortunately, cataract formation on the optical lenses proves to be a malady that is simple to fix. Future scholarship on such a topic could serve to address the remaining high statistic of blindness due to cataracts. Perhaps formation of cataracts is under diagnosed due to limited health care availability for some individuals.
1. Open angel glaucoma is where the eye has a clog. This causes the fluid of the eye to drain more slowly and makes the pressure in the eye go up. It damages the optic nerve over time. Since it is damaging the nerve you start to develop blind spots. You will start to lose the peripheral vision and there is no cure for open angle glaucoma. (Wachler 2017)
Some people may say that middle school was the worst years of their life,but in my case middle school was the best years of my life. It changed me, It made me a better person then who I was before. I am wiser, smarter,stronger, and overall just better. So if any elementary kids were
Then Allison and I started grade 12. School was chaotic for me as the workload increased. I almost regretted changing from the vocational to the academic studies. Allison and I started out the school year like all the other years hoping to make good marks so we could get on with our lives afterwards.
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Glaucoma is has several types which include congenital and acquired (Peate & Jones, 2014). Congenital glaucoma is present at birth (Peate & Jones, 2014). Whereas acquired glaucoma is not present at birth and is caused by medications, surgery, inflammation, or other processes (Glaucoma for Children, 2014). Glaucoma is then divided into two sub-groups called open-angle and closed-angle (Peate & Jones, 2014). The first sub-group, open-angle, is the most common of the two (Peate & Jones, 2014). In open-angle glaucoma patients do not notice a change in vision due to the fact that vision loss with this type
I had a good year in first grade. I became the best artist in the class. I started getting better at English. My first word was “bathroom.” I made two friends Michelle Sherman and Karen Calle. After that I started feeling better and actually liking this school. Everything felt better and worked out great!
The difficulty with glaucoma is that everyone is susceptible to it, and that the effects of glaucoma are not felt until vision loss occurs. This inability to diagnose glaucoma makes it difficult for patients to get the proper attention that they need. Currently there are no cures for glaucoma or its effects, only to try and stop it from causing further damage. The main step that patients should take with glaucoma is early diagnosis, but with many of glaucoma's effects being unnoticed, many victims will not get treatment until their vision has already been seriously damaged. With such effects as loss of peripheral vision or blurred vision, a patient then would proceed to get treated through the use of eye drops, medications, or surgery to reduce the pressure in the patient's eyes. This reduction in pressure is only temporary, and if treatment is stopped, the pressure would build up after a short period of time. This reduction of pressure can be costly and has no effect on the vision already lost. To treat this disease people are going to have to look to the future of
Cataracts is the most common eye conditions and with today’s medical advances, it can be easily treated with surgery. Commonly, cataracts are due to old age but there are other factors than can contribute to its manifestation.
In this modern age, individuals are expected to process large amounts of visual information on a daily basis. Without sight, people could not communicate or learn at the rate society dictates. Although eyesight is highly important for life, it often falls short in its ability to perform functions necessary to daily life. Problems such as myopia, hyperopia, and refractive errors interfere with a large portion of the population in the United States. Luckily, numerous methods are available to the public that are able to reduce or completely eliminate symptoms regarding vison impairments. Vision therapy is a versatile treatment used for visual malfunctions.