Can you treat normal tension glaucoma?

Can you treat normal tension glaucoma?

How is Normal-tension Glaucoma Treated? Since so little is known about why normal eye pressure damages some eyes, most doctors treat normal tension glaucoma by reducing the eye pressure as low as possible using medications, laser treatments and conventional surgery.

Can you go blind with normal tension glaucoma?

Conclusions.: The probability of blindness in eyes with NTG is much lower than previously reported in patients with high-tension glaucoma. Nevertheless, special care should be taken to follow NTG patients, and especially those with worse BCVA and more advanced visual field loss at diagnosis.

Is normal tension glaucoma common?

On average, these studies show that normal tension glaucoma (NTG) occurs in roughly 30 to 40% of all patients diagnosed with a glaucomatous visual field defect.

How quickly does normal tension glaucoma progress?

Age was not a factor for progression, Dr. Anderson said. “Only half of the patients who present with normal-tension glaucoma will progress over a period of 5 to 7 years.

What can cause normal tension glaucoma?

Chronic low vascular perfusion, Raynaud’s phenomenon, migraine, nocturnal systemic hypotension and over-treated systemic hypertension are the main causes of normal tension glaucoma.

Is normal tension glaucoma the same as open-angle glaucoma?

By definition, the only difference between normal- tension glaucoma (NTG) and primary (or chronic) open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is that the former patients have intraocular pressures (IOP) that are consistently at or below 21 mmHg, while the latter have pressures above this level.

Is normal tension glaucoma the same as open angle glaucoma?

Which patient is most at risk of developing normal tension glaucoma?

People with a family history of glaucoma, African Americans over the age of 40 and Hispanics over the age of 60 have an increased risk of developing glaucoma. Other risk factors include thinner corneas, chronic eye inflammation and taking medications that increase the pressure in the eyes.

What causes low tension glaucoma?

CAUSES OF LOW TENSION GLAUCOMA Other low tension glaucoma risk factors include age, irregular blood flow to the optic nerve, diabetes, sleep apnea, Raynaud’s syndrome, migraines, and anatomical abnormalities of the structures around the optic nerve.

What causes normal-tension glaucoma?

Although its cause is not completely understood, normal-tension glaucoma (and low-tension glaucoma) is generally believed to occur because of an unusually susceptible optic nerve or reduced blood flow to the optic nerve, causing damage despite a normal intraocular pressure.

Does high eye pressure always mean glaucoma?

While high eye pressure is one of the main risk factors for glaucoma, it does not necessarily lead to that eye disorder. A person’s ability to manage high eye pressure and its effects varies by individual. Therefore, patients with low eye pressure can still develop glaucoma.

Is normal tension glaucoma a clinically distinct entity?

Normal tension glaucoma (NTG) is among the greatest enigmas in eye care. In fact, some believe that as a separate diagnosis, it is a distinction without a difference. Those who prefer to characterize NTG as a separate entity point to evidence of alterations of blood flow to the eye among NTG patients, for example.

How is normal presure glaucoma treated?

Since so little is known about why normal eye pressure damages some eyes, most doctors treat normal tension glaucoma by reducing the eye pressure as low as possible using medications, laser treatments and conventional surgery .

How does blood pressure affect glaucoma?

Glaucoma occurs when excessive pressure inside the eye pushes back against blood trying to enter the eye. It had been thought that because high blood pressure ( hypertension) ensures that blood can enter the eye, it could counteract the high eye pressure that causes glaucoma.