Don't Let Ocular Hypertension Damage Your Eye Sight

You may have heard of people complaining of high ocular pressure or ocular hypertension. Ocular hypertension is a condition where the pressure inside the eye is higher than normal. Normal ocular pressure should be less than 21 mm Hg. Anything higher than this is a serious condition that, without treatment, may impair vision permanently. Ocular hypertension is not glaucoma. However, having ocular hypertension can increase your risk of glaucoma. Here are few things you need to know about your eyes to understand this condition better.

How the Eye Works

The front portion of your eye is filled with a clear liquid known as aqueous humor. For your eyes to stay healthy, aqueous humor constantly flows in and out of your eyes in the correct amount. The fluid that flows out is drained through a meshwork of cells and tissues. Sometimes, this meshwork does not work properly to drain fluid out of the eye. This results in fluid build-up, which in turn, increases eye pressure. This can also occur if the eye produces excessive amounts of aqueous humor.

Who is at Risk

Although eye pressure can occur in anyone, certain factors can increase your risk. You are at risk of ocular hypertension, if you have certain eye diseases, or if you are taking medications, such as, steroids. Furthermore, you are at risk if there is a family history of ocular hypertension, if you have diabetes, and if you are nearsighted.

Diagnosing Ocular Hypertension

Ocular hypertension is asymptomatic. This means it does not have any symptoms until it reaches a critical stage. Therefore, you may not know you have this problem until your vision is impaired. However, regular eye examinations can diagnose ocular hypertension. An ophthalmologist performs a number of tests that help diagnose your condition.

Tonometry Exam - Your eye is numbed with eye drops, and a tonometer is used to measure your eye pressure. This is a painless examination.

Gonioscopy Exam - This provides you ophthalmologist a clear look at the drainage angle of the eye. This is an important exam to determine how risky you are of developing glaucoma.

Ophthalmoscopy Exam - This examination checks your optic nerve for damage. This is done by using an ophthalmoscope. This requires the dilation of your pupils with eye drops.

Visual Field Test - This is a good examination for glaucoma. This test examines your eye, with a perimeter, for any sign of blank spots in your vision.

Pachymetry - Sometimes, corneal thickness interferes with eye pressure readings. The pachymetry test measures corneal thickness.

Ocular hypertension is an extremely serious condition that can lead to corneal damage. You should consider regular eye examinations to prevent complications. If you are diagnosed with this condition, medication, such as, Cosopt is effective in lowering ocular hypertension. -- +Alice Wolfe is specializing in writing articles on how to save on medication by buying from a canadian pharmacy.For more information about Canada Pharmacy Online please visit Canadapharmacyonline.com Source: http://www.articletrader.com