You may not know it but you may be actually suffering from ocular hypertension or high eye pressure. Ocular hypertension happens when the pressure in the eye becomes abnormal. This may cause glaucoma and even vision loss. Ocular hypertension is in fact quite common so it’s important to have your eyes checked by your doctor. Statistically 4.5% to 9.4% of Americans who are 40 years old and older develop ocular hypertension. As one ages, the likelihood of developing it increases. Therefore, recommendations by doctors remind people to have a regular comprehensive eye examination at least once a year. For older people, one way to preserve eyesight is to have an eye exam at least twice a year.
What is ocular hypertension
Ocular hypertension defines as when abnormal pressure builds in the eye. The pressure may cause eye problems, such as glaucoma if not detected and treated properly. Although less known as glaucoma, it occurs more often than the primary open-angle glaucoma. An average individual is 15 times more likely to have ocular hypertension than open-angle glaucoma.
What are the symptoms of ocular hypertension
Ocular hypertension presents no symptoms, unlike the other eye conditions that are easily detected by vision problems or eye redness. Only through an eye examination performed by an eye specialist can the problem be detected. The eye specialist measures the interocular pressure of the eye to determine if the pressure locates within the normal range. Normal pressure lists as 21 mmHg (millimeters of mercury) and lower. Anything higher than this would mean ocular hypertension exists. Too much pressure on the eyes damages the optic nerves.
Although no presenting symptoms of the condition exist, you can determine if you are at risk of ocular hypertension. People who have a high risk of getting the condition are those who have a family history of ocular hypertension or glaucoma, are over the age of 40 years old, have diabetes, are African American and have nearsightedness.
What is the treatment for ocular hypertension
If the eye specialist determines that you have ocular hypertension, he will decide on whether you will be treated with medication or not. Usually eye specialists will put you under observation over a period of time to see if the pressure increases or not and to see if your eyes show signs of glaucoma. If he determines that you need medication, he will start with eye drops in order to relieve the pressure in your eyes. If the medication fails to reduce the pressure and you develop glaucoma, the doctor will recommend treating glaucoma. All the more reason why it is important to have a regular checkup. A regular checkup will allow the doctor to treat your ocular hypertension before you develop glaucoma.
If you want your eyes checked by an eye specialist, you can visit Houston Lasik, one of the leading eye specialist and Lasik or Laser eye surgery centers in Houston. It specializes in all eye conditions and problems and provides the best and most technologically advanced treatment.
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Via
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0048624/
http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/hypertension.htm
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/who-is-at-risk-ocular-hypertension:
