Useful info

FLEE!!! DO NOT LET ANYONE OTHER THAN AN OPHTHALMOLOGIST OR GLAUCOMA
SPECIALIST "TREAT" YOUR EYES! YOUR VISION IS TOO VALUABLE (and yes, I'm
yelling and would probably slap you up the side of the head if you were
standing next to me <rbg
cancer?
He's probably doing "pneumatic trabeculoplasty" Your pressure can actually
go *up* as high as 65 during this procedure. How the heck can this help?
http://www.quackwatch.org/06ResearchProjects/pnt.html
Ok, I know some of you hate Quackwatch, but read the article and the
references included there.
One "study" I did read touting the safety and efficacy of this procedure was
done by doctors who have a financial interest in the success of the product.
And the patients were on glaucoma drops as well.
In a post to the list Mar 7, 2005, Dr. Ritch referred to this procedure as
"unproven nonsense". At the very least, you are draining your pocket book.
At the worst, you could go blind......
Sherry

My blood pressure seems to be lower with the use of Alphagan, yet they say IOP
and blood
pressure are not related. Anyone know anything about this? Or is it just
coincidence that my
BP is down by 10-15 points??

Last week I went to an osteopath who has succeeded in helping several people
lower their
IOP. I won't know until next month if it is helping me, as that's when I have my
next
appointment for visual field. I know what my pressures have been using Alphagan,
so we will
see what happens. He says that sometimes the "pump" in the eye which circulates
the fluids
gets "stuck", usually because of trauma (cataract surgery??) to the eye, and it
is possible to
get that pump working properly again to circulate the fluid and reduce the
pressure. I know
that my eyes felt very different after the treatment--more relaxed and "alive".
I'm not
counting on it, and continue to take the Alphagan, but just wondering if anyone
else has any
experience with/knowledge about this. Will report in after my next eye exam. (I
know my
opthomologist won't believe it, even if the pressure goes WAY down!)

FDA Approves Glaucoma Drug Combining Two Old-line Agents

By Peggy Peck, MedPage Today
IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 1 -- The FDA has approved an ophthalmic solution that combines brimonidine and timolol (Combigan) for reduction of intraocular pressure in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension, Allergan announced here.

In clinical trials, the combination of an alpha adrenergic receptor agonist with a beta adrenergic receptor inhibitor significantly reduced mean intraocular pressure up to 7.6 mm Hg from baseline and was well tolerated, the company said.

Moreover, when compared with brimonidine tid or timolol bid monotherapy, the combination compound administered twice a day reduced intraocular pressure by an additional 1 to 3 mm Hg.

But the intraocular pressure-lowering of Combigan bid "was slightly less than that seen with the concomitant administration of timolol ophthalmic solution at 0.5% dosed twice a day and brimonidine ophthalmic solution at 0.2% dosed three times per day," according to the company.

E. Randy Craven, M.D., director of Glaucoma Consultants of Colorado and the University of Colorado School of Medicine, who was an investigator in Allergan's clinical trials, said many patients require more than one medication to meet their target intraocular pressure, so "it is exciting to be able to offer patients two strong agents in one bottle."

The brimonidine/timolol ophthalmic solution is contraindicated in patients with bronchial asthma, a history of bronchial asthma, or severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It is also contraindicated in patients with sinus bradycardia, second- or third-degree atrioventricular block, overt cardiac failure, cardiogenic shock, as well as in patients with hypersensitivity to any component.

The most common adverse reactions observed in clinical trials were allergic conjunctivitis, conjunctival folliculosis, conjunctival hyperemia, eye pruritus, and ocular burning and stinging.

I lost vision with my trabs, more than expected, and it was determined that
it was due to astigmatism from the trabs. My pressure was brought down from
17 to 7 (although I did have hypotony in the right eye after that trab from
a small bleb leak which healed up quickly on its own). My ophth does a
regular check of pressure and the optic nerve, and like you, it's been
nearly 7 years since surgery and the blebs are filtering beautifully and
also like you, with minimal cataract formation - my ophth doesn't feel that
the cataracts are significant enough to contribute to decrease vision.
I asked about a visual field exam since I hadn't had one done since before
the surgery. He said he felt it would be pointless - "what can we do if the
fields are deteriorating? Your pressure is as low as it can go" was his
response. Makes sense to me! Years ago another doc said "why do a test if
you're not going to do anything with the results after you get them?"
Sherry
-----Original message-----

The purpose of a trab is to reduce pressure and stop degradation of visual field. If your trab accomplished this then it was successful, especially in the mind of your glaucoma specialist.

Blurry vision is another matter. For that you should go to an optometrist. After my second trab, my vision progressed from nearsighted (-350) to farsighted (+175) in a period of about one and a half years. My personal, unprofessional opinion is that the pressure was reduced so much that it changed the shape of my eye and thus changed my prescription. I endured endless changes of glasses and pretty much continual blurry vision for this period of time. But now, seven years later, my vision has stabilized and I haven't lost any more visual field since 1999.

I was also concerned that cataracts may be causing my problems, but both glaucoma doctor and optometrist told me that cataract formation was minimal.

I think it's important to recognized that different kinds of eye doctors measure success in different ways. If your glaucoma specialist has reduced your pressure and stopped or limited visual field loss, he or she considers that success. Optometrists measure success on their abiity to get you to 20/20. So my recommendation is that you check your prescription first before considering any other other options.

Good luck....arne

The Dr I see is a glaucoma specialist one of the top rated in the SF bay area. His name is Jason Bacharach. I don't think he is the problem but perhaps my eyes reaction to the procedures...Does this make sense
..Has no one had the same responses to these operations? Dorothy

Hi, according to the DVLA rules you can have scattered missed points on
the visual field tests and still drive, if someone has 2 single points,
do you think thats an 'OK' to continue driving?

Thank you.
-Deah

Dr Michael Kass is director of the glaucoma service at Washington University
I have no difference in results
On 10/29/07 10:47 AM, "dshale1" <Dshale1@...

Dr. Ritch, could you please recommend a glaucoma specialist in St.
Louis? My mother is 89, on maximum drug therapy but is down to tunnel
vision in her affected eye (she does not have glaucoma in the other
eye so has full field of vision in that eye). Her current specialist
has advised her to that she can have trabeculectomy or can just leave
it alone and hope that she will not lose all her vision in that eye in
her lifetime. I would like her to get a second opinion before having
serious eye surgery at her age (she is on coumadin as she has
previously experienced two pulomonary embolisms. She also has mild
heart failure, well-controlled by medication.)
Are there any statistics on the success rates and risks of trabs with
the very elderly?
Thanks-
Deah

Robert Ritch, MD
Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology
Chief, Glaucoma Service
Surgeon Director
The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary
310 East 14th Street
New York, NY 10003
Medical Director and
Chairman, Scientific Advisory Board
The Glaucoma Foundation
Private - Tel: 212-673-5140
Director of Intelligence: Karen Cheifetz
kcheifetz@...
Patient Appointments - Tel: 212-477-7540
Fax: 212-420-8743
e-mail: ritchmd@...
http://www.glaucoma.net
http://www.nyee.edu

Dr. Ritch, could you please recommend a glaucoma specialist in St.
Louis? My mother is 89, on maximum drug therapy but is down to tunnel
vision in her affected eye (she does not have glaucoma in the other
eye so has full field of vision in that eye). Her current specialist
has advised her to that she can have trabeculectomy or can just leave
it alone and hope that she will not lose all her vision in that eye in
her lifetime. I would like her to get a second opinion before having
serious eye surgery at her age (she is on coumadin as she has
previously experienced two pulomonary embolisms. She also has mild
heart failure, well-controlled by medication.)
Are there any statistics on the success rates and risks of trabs with
the very elderly?
Thanks-
Deah

That must have looked strange. I assume your eyelashes quit growing
eventually. Barb

I wasn't diagnosed with PDS. Dr. Ritch says I probably had it about 30 years ago.
On 10/28/07 7:57 PM, "annie4047" <annie4047@...

Sherry thanks for your quick and detailed response.
I live in Anderson, South Carolina. I already visited Dr. Welcome.
Can you suggest some one else who is senior, well experienced and
knowledgeable Glaucoma SPecialist nearby me.
thanks

Hi

I've been on such a variety of drops this year that I've lost track but yes my lashes did definatly get longer!! Bit of a nuisance as was only using them in one eye and they really did get long.

Best wishes

Becky

Has anyone noticed their eyelashes growing longer? I'm taking Travatan. Barb

[]
Barbara Ann Stahly

Matthew,
So glad you got through your surgery okay. Hope your recovery
continues to go well.

Time for a second opinion with a glaucoma specialist that you can get
answers to your questions from!
The pressure drop seems fine. My pressures went from 25 to 17 on Xalatan,
which was fine for me for 5 years until the doc noticed some changes in the
optic nerve. Since I had tried all the other meds at the time, trabs were
the only other option and I wasn't a candidate for laser due to my age
Why did he take you off the Xalatan when your pressures were doing well with
it? Having the pressure down to 12 sounds fair if he's still seeing
progression of optic never damage at the pressures you're at.
If you have thick corneas, your pressures will register artificially high.
It's important to know. "Bad" doesn't tell you anything! Ask him what your
cup/disk ratio is!
Every eye reacts differently to the trab and how well you do with the
procedure and afterwards is just not predictable.
The important thing is that you need to find a glaucoma specialist who is
willing to take time to answer your questions and help alleviate your fears!
Where do you live? Maybe we or Dr. Ritch can recommend someone.
Sherry

Matthew,
Oh my! Well, I'm glad that it was taken care of and that you're doing well.
Your doc was probably adamant about ginkgo because he now has you on
Coumadin. They're both blood thinners and Coumadin is hard enough to
balance out. With 120 mg ginkgo and 81 mg aspirin, I started having a
problem with bleeding - had a hard time getting the bleeding to stop when
I'd do my finger sticks and had a lot of weird bruising - so I cut back to
60 mg of ginkgo. Not the full dose, but Dr. Ritch said even that would be
helpful.
Anytime you're on *any* over-the-counter drugs, herbals, supplements, etc.
you definitely need to let *all* of your docs know that you're on them.
Even your dentist and glaucoma specialist!
Sherry

So there I was, minding my own business when all of a sudden I was rushed
into surgery -- heart bypass and a valve replacement. I'm getting better
now, but living under a new set of rules.
They've got me on Coumadin to prevent clotting around my fancy new stainless
steel mitral valve, and they tell me I MUST NOT take gingko biloba...
Oh, well... If it comes to a choice between a heart that beats (well,
clicks, actually) and the retinal protection GB offers, I don't think it's
much of a contest!
In any event, the point of this note is: If you are on Coumadin and taking
GB for your glaucoma, I'd suggest you check with your cardiologist, or
Coumadin clinic a.s.a.p.

What an ordeal! I can't answer your detailed questions, but I can add 2 cents worth of personal experience. I too have pigmentary glaucoma, and at the suggestion of Dr. Ritch my ophthalmologist added Propine (dipivefrin) drops to my other drops. Apparently it's considered a rather old-fashioned drug, and often not prescribed at all. However, it seems to be potentially very effective in lowering IOP in cases of pigmentary glaucoma. That's been my experience. In less than a month my pressures dropped from 12 & 13 to 7 & 8.
On 10/25/07 10:42 PM, "annie4047" <annie4047@...
My sister's son had stereotactic radiation for nasopharyngeal cancer
about 5 years ago. Being a white male, it is extremely rare for him
to have acquired this type of cancer. The tumor and/or
radiation/chemotherapy caused total blindness in one eye.
His sighted eye has just been diagnosed with pigmentary glaucoma with
secondary POAG. My research on PG suggests it can be inherited from
chromosome 7q35-36. We know of no one in the family with PG. In your
opinion is it possible that the surgery he received after cancer
treatment (for clearing tiny fragmented bones; sealed sinuses,
radiation debris, etc.) could have caused the PG?
His mother had narrow angle glaucoma cared for with laser treatment;
I, too, had laser treatment for narrow angle but continue with POAG; a
3rd sister had laser treatment for narrow angle and is also being
treated for POAG.
He is seeing a local glaucoma specialist, Dr. Daniel McGrath, at
VCU/MCV hospital in Richmond, VA. He is taking two different drops.
Considering he has vision in only the one eye, are there other
protocols that should be followed so that he does not lose that vision?
Lastly, he is currently being treated for lung cancer, more than
likely caused by the nasopharyngeal, the gift that keeps on giving.
He had surgery for non-small cell and has received 6 weeks of
radiation to his chest and is now receiving chemotherapy again and
doing quite well. Can this also be causing the glaucoma?
Any suggestions or PG specialists in the Richmond, VA area will be
most appreciated.
Carol Swann

Antioxidants will help protect your retina. Dr. Ritch advocates Gingko Biloba and Fish Oil in particular and suggests that Melatonin, Coenzyme Q10, Vitamin B12 and Resveratrol may be useful.
Caveat: This stuff is completely unregulated, and, it turns out, a lot is sourced from China-- especially the vitamins, and many people are very leery about quality control in food and food supplements from China.
Do a little due diligence on that.
And be aware that NOTHING, repeat NOTHING, can "recover" or "regenerate" damaged nerve cells. The best hope for that lies in stem cell research. Let's hope we live long enough to see it happen. Otherwise, any loss of vision you have already experienced is, for all pr5actical purposes permanent. If any peddler of miracle cures tells you different, they're scamming you.
On 10/27/07 7:22 PM, "pmpvip" <pmpvip@...

I need immidiate suggestions on the alternative medicines from
aruvedic, chinese or herbal or nutrional area which are very helpful
in case of glucoma
(1) For reducing IOP in glaucoma
(2) Recover and regenerate nerve cells in the eye that are damaged
in eye due to glucoma.
I know they may be spread along several posts, but I wanted to start
most effective supplements immidiately So I need names, how much we
should take and where you can buy that on internet.
I have searched but not seen any Special Glaucoma Supplement in drug
stores.
I am currently using Lutin, Vitamin B and try to eat lot of citrus
to get vitamin C.
Your help is very important for me as I have advanced Glaucoma , so
please suggest supplement with source where I can get those. You can
also post important links with definate suggestions regarding them.

I need immidiate suggestions on the alternative medicines from
aruvedic, chinese or herbal or nutrional area which are very helpful
in case of glucoma
(1) For reducing IOP in glaucoma
(2) Recover and regenerate nerve cells in the eye that are damaged
in eye due to glucoma.
I know they may be spread along several posts, but I wanted to start
most effective supplements immidiately So I need names, how much we
should take and where you can buy that on internet.
I have searched but not seen any Special Glaucoma Supplement in drug
stores.
I am currently using Lutin, Vitamin B and try to eat lot of citrus
to get vitamin C.
Your help is very important for me as I have advanced Glaucoma , so
please suggest supplement with source where I can get those. You can
also post important links with definate suggestions regarding them.

Hi
I am under confusion and stress after my last visit to the Glaucoma
Specialist So need advise from experienced members like you.
Here is my Case history:
I am diagnosed with Advance Glaucoma (open angle) in both of my
eyes. My right eye has also lost some of the central vision as shown
in the visual field test. I also experience some vision loss at one
corner of my right eye. I was unaware of this until this June when
this diagnosis was done.
I am on the drops since start of the June-07. When it was diagnosed
in June my IOP was 24 and 26. Doctors have tried different
combinations with following results ( Results are only one time
measurements during doctors visit) I have only visited specialist in
this important area each time.
Date Right Left Treatment started after these
readings
6/12/07 24 26 Timolol and Xelatan started
7/7/07 17 17 Timolol continue and Lumigan
replaced
Xelatan
8/16/07 18 22 Xelatan and Cosopt (replace
Lumigan and Timolol)
10/18/07 19 20 Alphagan added ( to Xelatan and
Cosopt ) ( last visit)
I visited Glaucoma specialist last week. He mainly did dilated eye
exam and relied on previous visual filed test that was done in
India. He did measure cornea thickness but did not do any other
test. After his exam he told me following things
(1) I have very advanced glaucoma in both my eyes. Right eye has
more advanced
(2) He added Alphagan ( 3 times a day) in addition to current eye
drops, but he was very quick to say that it will most probably will
not affect much in terms of IOP reduction. He told me my target IOP
should be around 12 in both eyes.
(3) He asked me to schedule incisional TRABECULECTOMY some time
after a month or so.
(4) When I asked for details on my cornea thickness as well as cup
sizes, he was telling that it was bad But was not ready to discuss
further. He was not ready to discuss much or give more information
about his observations. I also found him very quick to arrive at his
conclusions.
In short he suggested me to go for TRABECULECTOMY , he told me that
I was not good candidate for Laser. Why I don't know.
My Age is only 41 year and I understand Trablculectomy is a last
resort to reduce IOP or control glaucoma.
My questions are
(1) Since my drops are started just few month back should I give
drops chance to work and wait before going for Any type of surgery.
(2) In my case Xalatan and Timolol combination was found to
lower IOP to 17 in only one month of taking it. I think that it was
mistake to change to Lumigan. I asked last two doctors to Change my
drops back to Xalatan and Timolol but they were not even ready to
listen that idea and they immediately dismissed that. Based on my
eye experiences I personally feel that it was best combination as
far as feeling in my eyes are concerned and also IOP reading are
concerned. I don't understand why they are not ready to try that
one more time and see its results?
(3) None of the doctor I visited except the last Glaucoma
Specialist ( all other were Ophthalmologist experienced in Glaucoma
area) suggested to go for immediate surgery. Should I seek second
Opinion or go for surgery immediately?
(4) If I absolutely has to go for surgery which may be best
alternative to Trablculectomy. ? if Laser is not good for me are
there any good options left for me before going for Trablculectomy?
(5) If I go for Trablculectomy.,.should I go for only one eye
which is currently badly affected ( right) and see result before
having Trablculectomy in other eye which has very good vision right
now? What is normal success rate in Trablculectomy? Are there any
chance to save vision if Trablculectomy is not successful and go
wrong?
I know these are lot questions but I think apart from expert's
opinion from Ophthalmologist and Glaucoma specialist I also want to
know your suggestions which comes from very personnel experiences of
the similar situation with self or from family members.
Please take your time to reply it but make your reply detailed one
so that it can help me a lot.

I guess
On 10/25/07 10:03 PM, "gracepapp@..." <gracepapp@...

Dear Dr. Ritch:
Is it safe to take Rutin, along with Reservertrol and Gingo Biloba??
Thank you, Grace

Robert Ritch, MD
Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology
Chief, Glaucoma Service
Surgeon Director
The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary
310 East 14th Street
New York, NY 10003
Medical Director and
Chairman, Scientific Advisory Board
The Glaucoma Foundation
Private - Tel: 212-673-5140
Director of Intelligence: Karen Cheifetz
kcheifetz@...
Patient Appointments - Tel: 212-477-7540
Fax: 212-420-8743
e-mail: ritchmd@...
http://www.glaucoma.net
http://www.nyee.edu

I too am unable to find anything illuminating about Glaucoma as I grieve for my child losing her sight. Guess we're all different....del

My sister's son had stereotactic radiation for nasopharyngeal cancer
about 5 years ago. Being a white male, it is extremely rare for him
to have acquired this type of cancer. The tumor and/or
radiation/chemotherapy caused total blindness in one eye.
His sighted eye has just been diagnosed with pigmentary glaucoma with
secondary POAG. My research on PG suggests it can be inherited from
chromosome 7q35-36. We know of no one in the family with PG. In your
opinion is it possible that the surgery he received after cancer
treatment (for clearing tiny fragmented bones; sealed sinuses,
radiation debris, etc.) could have caused the PG?
His mother had narrow angle glaucoma cared for with laser treatment;
I, too, had laser treatment for narrow angle but continue with POAG; a
3rd sister had laser treatment for narrow angle and is also being
treated for POAG.
He is seeing a local glaucoma specialist, Dr. Daniel McGrath, at
VCU/MCV hospital in Richmond, VA. He is taking two different drops.
Considering he has vision in only the one eye, are there other
protocols that should be followed so that he does not lose that vision?
Lastly, he is currently being treated for lung cancer, more than
likely caused by the nasopharyngeal, the gift that keeps on giving.
He had surgery for non-small cell and has received 6 weeks of
radiation to his chest and is now receiving chemotherapy again and
doing quite well. Can this also be causing the glaucoma?
Any suggestions or PG specialists in the Richmond, VA area will be
most appreciated.
Carol Swann

Dear Dr. Ritch:
Is it safe to take Rutin, along with Reservertrol and Gingo Biloba??
Thank you, Grace

Hi David,

Thank you so much for posting this link. Actually, I watched the second section too, Professor Pausch's "last lecture" and that too is amazing.

Lilian

And to think I ALMOST watched Oprah yesterday, but didn't. Thank you SOOO much
for
alerting us to this info. I watched the trailer to Kris' film and wept from joy
and pain and
inspiration. I sent it to a friend who just recovered from metastasized prostate
cancer
through an extremely unique therapy at a clinic in Germany, and we have been
talking
about how similar our experiences with disease and healing are. Both of us are
grateful
beyond measure for the 'diseases' that have cured us from something worse than
death--
not being really alive, although wandering through this earth plane. I really
loved your
blog, and I'm sure my German friend will, too. Thank you, David!!! Marjorie

One year after a trab in the left eye the discussion has been to
perhaps proceed with the right eye. After the variety of tests to
determine that both eyes are stable, the decision was made to wait and
keep close tabs on any change. Pressure in left is 10 and right eye
17. The RNFL thickness average analysis was part of the deciding
factor in postponing the right eye trab. Avg. thickness is 87.45 and
75.56. What is normal thickness? Also, left eye showed improvement on
the visual field. How is that possible?
linjan

hi Jan, as I know, usually the implant surgery was offered when the
patient didn't respond to maximal medical therapy and failed the
trabeculectomy filtering surgery. How have you been doing with your
drainage implants? Best regards, Jong.

I hope you had a chance to watch today's Oprah Show. The show featured
Kris Carr, of Crazy Sexy Cancer. I think it is important for all of us
interested in glaucoma (patients, doctors, family members - all of us)
to watch the segment of the show with Kris Carr. The full details and
the related links are given in my blog post here:
http://fiteyes.com/blogs/dave/2007/10/23/glorious-illuminating-glaucoma

Hi, I have had two molteno implants a year apart in different sites on my left eye....that was 5 and 6 years ago, I am in New Zealand, this was the first surgery offered to me?? Jan

Hi all,
I'm glad to find this wonderful glaucoma group on internet. Here is my
story: I got my first surgeries (trabeculectomy) on both eyes more
than 10 years. The vision field of my left eye was already largey
damaged at that time. I got my second trab on the left eye in 2002 and
the argon laser surgery on the right eye in 2005. Recently my right
eye's pressure went up (23 ~ 25) and my doctor suggested another
surgery. I got a pretty nasty post-procedure complication (macular
pucker due to low-presure) more than 10 years ago and that somehow
ruined my crystal-clear vision of my right eye. So I was a little
concerned about the trab this time. So my doctor advocated the
so-called "tube-shunt" procedure. He made it sound to be very much
less risky and could last much longer (looking to 20 years?). However,
I knew that I still have one chance to have the traditional
trabeculectomy before I go for this last resort. He told me that
nowdays many doctors already start consider the "tube shunt" as the
first option for many yound glaucoma patients.
Now I'm in a position where I really need some advice from you guys
whoever had the experience of *tube-shunt* procedure, or would be
willing to provide me with a second opinion or any kind of information
that may be relevant. I really appreciate your response. I will try
to schedule a surgery for the coming month or so.
Best,
Jong

We have another new blog on FitEyes.com:
Nancy's Ocular Hypertension Blog
Nancy has posted a very interesting article on her blog about her 30 year journey with ocular hypertension. Here is a link to her article:

Ocular Hypertension Journey

I think you'll enjoy reading it. This is her first blog post. As Nancy posts more articles on her blog, you can read them all at this link:
http://fiteyes.com/blogs/nancy
Start a dialog with her - leave her some comments and feedback at her blog. And make sure you subscribe to email alerts so you'll automatically be notified when Nancy posts new articles on her blog.
Regards,
David
http://fiteyes.com/blogs/dave/

Do you have a link to a medical explanation of this phenomenon? In
the case of Trusopt, is there documentation that drops applied to one
eye can result in significantly lower pressures in the other eye as
well?
Here's what the package insert for Trusopt says about the expected
pressure reduction in general:
"The efficacy of TRUSOPT was demonstrated in clinical studies in the
treatment of elevated intraocular pressure in patients with glaucoma
or ocular hypertension (baseline IOP ¡Ý 23 mmHg). The IOP-lowering
effect of TRUSOPT was approximately 3 to 5 mmHg throughout the day
and this was consistent in clinical studies of up to one year
duration."
It just seems unlikely to me that in my case Trusopt administration
in the right eye explains a 6-point drop in the left eye. Unlikely
enough that I took the time to report it here. I understand that
most reports like this, even if well-intentioned, turn out to be
invalid, or at least not applicable to most people. And this may
well be one of those cases. On the other hand, it only costs $10 to
try it, so, you know, it might not be a completely unreasonable
decision for someone to give it a shot.
I tried rutin because I read other isolated reports that it was
effective, and because it was really cheap. I was unable to find any
study that would have decided the issue one way or the other. If
anyone knows of such a study, I would like to see it.
Anyway, I've provided the data from my experience. The reader can
interpret it as he or she chooses.

See my comments in the text below. Thanks.

David

http://fiteyes.com/blogs/dave/

In this case, "pretty accurate" should probably be translated as "less accurate than Goldmann." The research I've seen also indicates the Diaton is less accurate than the TonoPen (which itself is less accurate than Goldmann).

If we were to rank tonometers from most accurate to least accurate, the Diaton would rank nearer the bottom than the top - and that assumes the Diaton is being used by a skilled/trained professional.

As has been mentioned previously, the Diaton is not suitable for self-tonometry.

David

http://fiteyes.com/blogs/dave/

Stan - in addition to my message below:
I just noticed that you were looking for self tonometer - not sure how
you would use this device for self screening, you do need to get
someone trained to use diaton. they have a training video that comes
with it and they talk you through the procedure step by step till we
got it. I don't meat to be promoting this company, but they were very
good to me with training my staff, even called to follow up a few more
times.
Marcel, thank you for sharing that same guys make MIG fighter planes,
it's soo cool.
Hi Stan,
I have diaton, my staff likes it vs. tonopen - measures right over the
lid. Bicom guys gave training over the phone + We did comparisons when
we first got it - good screening device, pretty accurate.
hope it helps.
Pi

I know it's difficult to get any statistical significance from an
experiment when n=1, but it appears that in my case taking 500 mg of
rutin in the morning with breakfast has lowered my pressures by about
five points. Of course there could be some other explanation, but
nothing that's obvious.
I've been on Xalatan since it first came out, and it has worked well
for me. But over the years the pressures have steadily increased,
particularly in the right eye. While my fields, laser pictures and
optic nerves still look really good, my doc put his foot down when I
got to 27/21 on two visits in a row. So he added Trusopt in the
right eye only, twice a day, and at the same time I began taking the
rutin.
This morning, which is five months later, I was down to 17/15, which
are numbers in both eyes that I haven't seen in years. That's a drop
of 10/6. Now of course the change in the right eye could be the
Trusopt, but I think a 10-point drop from that would be highly
unusual from what I've read (5 points appears to be typical). And
that still wouldn't explain the change in the left eye, in which I
still just use Xalatan.
So, I think there's at least a chance that the rutin has provided
some significant benefit. I found it at my local health food store.
It's the Country Life brand, $10.90 for 100 tablets, although the
brand probably doesn't make any difference. I see that Beyond-a-
Century sells it in powdered form for even less.
Might be worth a try. Well, you know, at like $3 a month, it
wouldn't cost much. No side effects that I've noticed.

Check out www.losteye.com
I found it very comforting. I haven't looked at it lately but at the time it was relevant, I was impressed by the optimism of the
guy who built the site.
Tough situations can turn around. It is important to let the doctors keep us informed but it is also important to remember that
statistics don't mean much in our side of town. Most of us are in the 5% that don't conform. It makes us special and that is why
we take such good care of each other.
Don't give up on us if we don't reply immediately. Sometimes it takes a little longer than instant email to get the info you are looking
for.
love,
sari

Del,
Hang in there. It must be so difficult to watch your child go through this. Some of us here are partners of glaucomates but most of us are the ones with the glaucoma. Can't imagine going through this with a child.
I guess the only place to go with all this is acceptance and faith that life can be lived well with limitations. It isn't an easy process but the reward for acceptance is serenity and I am so grateful when the glaucoma is under control.
I hope your daughter's situation stabilizes soon and that you find rapport with the docs so that trust grows.
love,
sari

Hi all, This is a tough disease. My daughter Lauren had her first review with the new eye (Glaucoma) specialist today. The pressure in the L eye has gone up to 51 so its in the bin with the Xalatan & now Duotrav is being tried.The R eye has no vision & he said the pressure in it is very high

Its all pretty frightening & Cindy I feel for you

This Dr said this type of glaucoma, post childhood cataract surgery can have a poor response to t'ment

Del

Hi Marcina, I just wanted to reply so you do know we are reading...I have had high pressure as well that was unable to be controlled by medication..I have had two molteno implants and altho I do not have sight in that eye because the damage was done, I would say it has worked in that my pressure is now 20-22...the last surgery was 6 years ago, and my right eye altho effected some what is under control with minimal preventitive surgery... Sorry I can,t be more help, there is a site called Losteye...which may be able to give you more information....My thoughts are with you and your family..Take Care Jan

Hi,
I've posted before only once. Never received a response. I really
hope someone might be able to help me with this question. My daughter
(16) has juvenile glaucoma. There is no sight in the left eye. The
right eye has been controllable but is becoming more and more
sympathetic with the left. The pressure in the blind eye (left) is
now 60 and the right is now 30. Her Dr. has now told her that if it
continues in this way she will not have sight by the age of 20. He is
suggesting an evisceration. Do any of you know of any online support
groups dealing with this? We are looking at a date in Dec. possibly
Nov. for the surgery. I hope there is something someone knows.
Thanks
Cindy

hi Indu
i had alot of problems when i had my first trab on my right eye, and i was told
that i needed the left done, which i too was worried about. i had to have 5fu
injections ..stitches cut the works on my right so was dreading the left being done.
But i have had no problems at all and it is because my surgeon told me that due
to the problems i had after the surgery on the left he adapted his usage of the
mitomycin-c whilst doing the surgery. Boy am glad he did cos as i said i have had no
problems at all this time. with my right istopped draining and had a stitch cut, then my
pressure dropped to 2 .. had to have atropine, then i started scarring and had two lots of
5fu injections ..it was awful. But because he used the knowledge from the right eye
when doing the left i had no problems. i know everyone is different but if they have
said you need it done just bear in mind that at the end of the day it is your sight.
i dont know if this helps but i would think most surgeons tend to be guided by the
first trab.
sandra

Dr. Ritch,
I was interested in reading the article about lifestyle/living alone and
glaucoma, but it was not available. Is there another way I can find out what was
said in the articel.
Thanks

I forgot to mention the doctor also saw something around or on my
optic nerve that gave him concern. Like I mentioned earlier I'm
willing to bet that came from the laser treatment for my torn retina.
I also forgot to mention I had cataract surgery done in my left eye a
couple of years ago to go along with my list of eye problems over the
years.
Allen

Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2007 18:06:00 +0200 (CEST)
To: "ritchmd@..." <ritchmd@...
Subject: WGC Newsletter October 2007

WORLD GLAUCOMA CONGRESS

Newsletter October 2007

The Global Glaucoma Network

We are proud to let you know that the 2nd World Glaucoma Congress, held in Singapore, was a tremendous success, just like the 1st WGC in Vienna, with a high scientific level which was clearly expressed in the satisfaction score from the attendants.

Photo's on-line available now: Please click here <http://www.worldglaucoma.org/redirect.php?page=photos
2nd World Glaucoma Congress in a nutshell
* 2000 delegates from 81 different countries
* full 3-day display of 475 posters
* over 600 square metres of exhibition
* 25 exhibition booths
* over 60 different participating Glaucoma Societies
* 144 oral sessions (symposia, courses, industry symposia, etc.)
* 189 faculty members
*

From Wednesday July 18 to Saturday July 21 the 2nd World Glaucoma Congress took place in Suntec Singapore International Convention Center. 2000 glaucoma experts from all over the world came to this unique city in Asia to participate in the 2nd edition of the Congress. 3rd WORLD GLAUCOMA CONGRESS
and International Glaucoma Symposium
July 8-11, 2009
Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Name change
As of July 22 the name of the Association of International Glaucoma Societies has been changed into WORLD GLAUCOMA ASSOCIATION (WGA) Consequently the new address of the WGA web site is: www.worldglaucoma.org <http://www.worldglaucoma.org
Global Assembly & Opening Ceremony
The Global Assembly was held from 11.00 am - 12.00 pm on Wednesday July 18. Representatives from almost all 60 Glaucoma members societies participated. Important topics were discussed like glaucoma patient organizations, World Glaucoma Day (March, 6, 2008), IGR and its on-line abstract database and advocacy. Another important issue addressed was the consensus reports & guidelines and the promulgation of this important information world wide. To symbolize the support that the WGA offers its members, all representatives of Glaucoma Societies received a set of the four Consensus books and a USB stick containing the Consensus statements of all four meetings, with the request to distribute the content within their national hospitals and universities to all glaucoma experts and general ophthalmologists. The Opening Ceremony followed later that afternoon. The Minister of Community Development, Youth and Sports, Dr. V. Balakrishnan, an ophthalmologist himself, from Singapore
officially opened the Congress.

Representatives from glaucoma societies during Global Assembly Opening speaker: Minister of Community Development, Youth and Sports, Dr. V. Balakrishnan from Singapore, during the Opening Ceremony

Opening speaker:Dr. Kishore Mahbubani, Dean and Professor in the Practice of Public Policy at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy of the National Univ. of Singapore Opening Speaker: Edison Liu, Special Advisor to the President, National Univ. of Singapore, Executive Director, Singapore Cancer Syndicate, Director, Singapore Tissue Network

Impression of scientific programme

The success formula for the Scientific Program of the WGC in Vienna - educational sessions in the morning and intensive courses in the afternoon - was continued in Singapore and even further improved by adding parallel basic clinician scientist sessions in the morning and a host of symposia, of which 9 were debates, in the afternoon. The debates had been prepared in Project Forum, an Internet based WGA discussion forum, in order to set the stage for lively discussions on the various subjects during the congress.
The 190 people strong faculty existing of the worlds top glaucoma experts were willing to travel all the way to Singapore. These gifted speakers guaranteed high quality lectures. The post-congress evaluation showed again a high participant satisfaction score.

Poster Walk-through & WGC-2007 Poster recognitions

Apart from the individual visits by participants to the posters, the WGC Poster Committee, WGA Board of Governors, Steering Committee and Glaucoma Society Representatives officially visited the posters on Thursday, July 19. Just before the session started the Top-ten selected posters were marked with a flag. The selected authors were asked to present their poster during the two Poster discussion sessions, via two slides . During the Closing Ceremony, Saturday, July 21, the Poster Committee announced the three best posters which received the World Glaucoma Congress Poster Recognition. The following authors were selected: W. Huang (China), M.F. Cordeiro (United Kingdom) and M. Aihara (Japan).

from left to right: Dr. M. Aihara, best poster; Dr. M.F. Cordeiro, 2nd best poster; Dr. Huang, 3rd best poster;

Society posters

In addition to the scientific posters Glaucoma Societies were asked to present a poster about their society. These Society Posters described the major achievements of the Glaucoma Society between July 2005 and July 2007 including meetings, best research, awards, publication and promulgation. The posters are available via the Global Directory of Glaucoma Societies via the WGA website <http://www.worldglaucoma.org/redirect.php?page=dir

Social program

An extensive social program had been organized during the days of the Congress. A Singapore flavoured Welcome Reception was organized directly following the Opening Ceremony at the exhibition floor. On Friday Evening the Tropical Gala Evening took place in the heart of Singapore. One of the city's finest bridges the "Cavanagh Bridge" was part of the venue, as well as the Asian Civilizations Museum. All guests enjoyed the colourful evening filled with local cultural entertainment, food and drinks. The Congress ended with the Farewell Afternoon High Tea, organized in the beautiful Labrador Park. Partners enjoyed the many special excursions in and around Singapore.

The Tropical Gala Evening taking place in the heart of Singapore. Participants in the Labrador Park during the Farewell Afternoon High Tea

Exhibition

Over 600 square meters of exhibition space were booked for the WGC-2007. Please visit the list of exhibitors <http://www.worldglaucoma.org/redirect.php?page=exh

The World Glaucoma Association hopes to see you all in Boston, July 8-11, 2009!

As the World Glaucoma Congress and the International Glaucoma Symposium have agreed to merge their meetings, the next WORLD GLAUCOMA CONGRESS will be the one and only global biennial glaucoma meeting. We have the greatest expectations of this unique worldwide event.

WWW.WORLDGLAUCOMA.ORG
<http://www.worldglaucoma.org

Prof. Dr. Erik L. Greve, MD PhD
Vice President World Glaucoma Association

Important: Just send an e-mail to info@..., with de-activate in the subject box, if you do not want to receive GEM anymore. E-mail address changes can also be made by sending an e-mail to the same address..

------ End of Forwarded Message

Hi and welcome to the group, my eye problem appeared to come on suddenly with extremely high pressure [L] eye< I had some form of very painful laser on the evening of the day of diagnosis,still not really sure what he did, it was explained to me that he burnt out the back of my eye to improve drainage...it didn,t work..... 3 months later and dozens of drops I had my first Molteno implant my pressure dropped from high 60s to mid thirties..a second a year later and Im now at 20-22...have no sight due to optic nerve damage and a cataract covering my last 3 pin pricks of sight...Had no family history, or injuries , general health good........Jan

-----

Sent: Monday, October 15, 2007 9:02 PM

Subject: [glaucoma] I'm new, put on meds today.

.

[INLINE]

------ Forwarded Message
From: IGR Online <GEM@...
Date: Thu, 4 Oct 2007 16:32:51 +0200 (CEST)
To: "ritchmd@..." <ritchmd@...
Subject: GEM 9-2

<http://www.e-igr.com/
International Glaucoma Review
The Journal for the World Glaucoma Association

GEM 9-2

Dear Dr. Robert Ritch, In this Glaucoma E-Mail - GEM -, you will find:
* News Flashes <#nf
* Your own new searchable glaucoma database <#db
* Contents of the Editors Selection of IGR 9-2 <#c1
* Ophthalmology Resource Center <#pf

News Flashes
Click on the flash and you will get the relevant comment in IGR
Click again and you will get the relevant abstract, when available

*
*
* Prevention of visual field loss, even at early stages, may be important for preserving quality of life <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=359
*

*
*
* How can living alone be a risk factor for developing glaucoma? Are some types of glaucoma related to lifestyle? <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=360
*

*
*
* 70% of respondents felt that verifying calibration of tonometers was someone else's responsibility and they did not know how often this was being done in their clinic <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=374
*

*
*
* SLP images with apparent Atypical Birefringence Patterns likely should not be used for glaucoma diagnosis <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=383
*

There are many more Flashes in IGR-print and on the IGR website <http://www.e-igr.com/NF/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92
Your own new searchable glaucoma database
The IGR searchable database has been launched and was freely accessible during the WGC 2007 in Singapore. Participants of the congress enthusiastically experienced the IGR database in action and quickly found abstracts related to WGC presentations.

IGR 9-1 contained detailed information on the three easy steps to register, and many readers took advantage to activate their complementary IGR Online account to make use of all the new special features of IGR Online.
If you have not registered, you may do so now through: http://www.e-igr.com/register. All you need is your IGR ID: 1976SARI19522880
Should you have any questions, please visit the support section on the IGR website or contact us at info@...

Abstracts in pdf format
Amongst all the previously mentioned features, there is the possibility to download all the abstracts to your computer and read them offline or make a print-out. Bookmarks have been made in the file, making it easy to navigate the classification listings.
To download the abstracts please first log in to your IGR Online account and then click either on the Download pdf's in the MyIGR menu or simply on the download icon.

Register now and unleash the full power of IGR Online <http://www.e-igr.com/register

Contents of the Editors Selection of IGR 9-2

* Epidemiology
+ Comment by: Rohit Varma <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=357
* Quality of Life
+ Comment by: Pamela Sample <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=358
+ Comment by: Don Budenz <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=359
+ Comment by: George Spaeth <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=360
* Basic research: Trabecular meshwork
+ Comment by: Tina Wong <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=361
+ Comment by: Ted Acott <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=362
+ Comment by: Douglas Rhee <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=363
+ Comment by: Zaher Sbeity & Robert Ritch <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=364
+ Comment by: Makoto Aihara <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=365
* Basic research: Retinal ganglion cells
+ Comment by: Len Levin <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=366
* Basic research: Optic nerve head
+ Comment by: Elke Lütjen-Drecoll <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=367
+ Comment by: Franz Grus <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=368
+ Comment by: Christopher Girkin <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=369
* Basic research: Genetics
+ Comment by: Julie Richards <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=370
+ Comment by: Ravi Thomas <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=371
+ Comment by: Subho Chakrabarthi <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=371
+ Comment by: Stuart McKinnon <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=372
* Basic research: Pharmacogenomics
+ Comment by: Jonathan Crowston <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=373
* Examination methods: IOP
+ Comment by: James Brandt <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=374
+ Comment by: John Liu <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=375
* Examination methods: Electro-opthalmo diagnosis
+ Comment by: Lyne Racette <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=376
* Examination methods: Photography
+ Comment by: Andreas Boehm <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=377
* Examination methods: Laser scanning
+ Comment by: Stefano Miglior <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=378
+ Comment by: Robert Fechtner <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=379
+ Comment by: Esther Hoffman <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=380
+ Comment by: Christopher Girkin <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=381
+ Comment by: Gadi Wollstein <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=382
+ Comment by: Christopher Bowd <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=383
+ Comment by: Michael Kook <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=384
+ Comment by: Jose-Maria Martinez de la Casa <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=385
+ Comment by: David Greenfield <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=386
+ Comment by: Tin Aung <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=387
* Medical treatment
+ Comment by: Tony Realini <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=388
+ Comment by: Tasos Konstas <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=389
+ Comment by: Alon Harris <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=390
+ Comment by: Terete Borrás <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=391
+ Comment by: Paul Palmberg <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=392
* Improving eye care globally
+ Comment by: Steven Gedde <http://www.e-igr.com/ES/index.php?GEM=3&amp;issue=92&amp;ComID=393

The following ONLINE RESOURCE is brought to you by an unrestricted educational grant from Pfizer Ophthalmology:
Click here for product related information plus patient & physician eye health related resources <http://www.xalatan.com/

Enjoy this GEM!

Prof. Dr. Robert N. Weinreb, MD PhD

Chief Editor International Glaucoma Review
Member of the Board of Governors of the World Glaucoma Association

Important: keep us informed when you change your e-mail address. Update your IGR Online profile (via the MyIGR menu) or write to info@....
Just send an e-mail to info@..., with de-activate in the subject box, if you do not want to receive GEM anymore

Contact <http://www.e-igr.com/About/index.php?issue=92&amp;page=contact

------ End of Forwarded Message

All

I am trying to decide what are the real factors to decide on getting a surgery and then there is a different topic of what kind of surgery.

I already have Trab surgery in one eye and went through lot of issues due to pressure dropping to 5. Finally feeling better (pressure of 8 now) after a blood injection. Now I am being told that I should also get surgery in my left eye.

Here is the other info

IOP is 17 with cosopt and travatan

Visual field is not that great

central vision is about 20/20

Don't want to go with Trab, probably canaloplasty.

If canaloplasty brings pressure to about 14, then why is the pressure of 17 so bad with medications??

Your opinion will greatly help.

thanks

Indu
" [INLINE]

I'm 45 years old and have had trouble with my eyes for as long as I
can remember. As a child and now as an adult I've had blepharitis to
deal with.
About 7 years ago I had a small tear in my retina in both eyes within
a year of each other. I think that may have lead to the problem I'm
having now. When the tear was repaired in my right eye the doctor told
me "this may hurt, it's on your nerve" before he began the laser
treatment. He was right...it did hurt!
That brings me to today. My new doctor has some concerns about the
pressure reading in my right eye. As of today it was at 21. Last month
it was 19. He wants to see me again in 3 months. My left eye has a
reading of 16. I'm wondering if the laser treatment did damage to my
optic nerve in my right eye.
According to my doctor I'm on the "high end of normal" and he's
putting me on Xalatan. There is no history of glaucoma in my family so
this came as a surprise. I'm a photographer who uses my right eye to
make my living so I'm even more nervous about this.
I'll do some reading of the archives, but I'm wondering about any of
your thoughts on what I've told you. And Xalatan?
Thank you for your time.
Allen

Welcome to the Group

shirley
alaningam s <drsingam@...

hi everybody! Am new to this grp.

I was first diagnosed with open angle glaucoma(both eyes) since early July .Such a silent thief that i was really unaware i was having it since i was asymptomatic.

My R iop was 38 mm hg and L iop was 42 mmhg!! Presently, my iop's are well controlled with Alphagan,Cosopt and Travatan drops.My last R IOP was 13mmhg and L IOP was 14 mm hg.

I am a retired anaesthetist and spend more time on the golf course.But now i am more into reading everything on glaucoma and have stopped feeling sorry for myself.Life has to go on.By the way i'm from Malaysia.

Regards to all and hope to hear from u all if u have any problems.

hi everybody! Am new to this grp.

I was first diagnosed with open angle glaucoma(both eyes) since early July .Such a silent thief that i was really unaware i was having it since i was asymptomatic.

My R iop was 38 mm hg and L iop was 42 mmhg!! Presently, my iop's are well controlled with Alphagan,Cosopt and Travatan drops.My last R IOP was 13mmhg and L IOP was 14 mm hg.

I am a retired anaesthetist and spend more time on the golf course.But now i am more into reading everything on glaucoma and have stopped feeling sorry for myself.Life has to go on.By the way i'm from Malaysia.

Regards to all and hope to hear from u all if u have any problems.

I would like to say hi. I just joined this group but I am not new to
glaucoma.
I was diagnosed at the age of 26 with open-angle glaucoma and have
been on several medications. I am now 52. In my case, the glaucoma
was hereditary as my Dad had glaucoma.
For the past three years I have had good success with COSOPT and
ALPHAGAN-P. My doctor in New York City was thinking about XALATAN
but in some preliminary studies this medication had turned blue eyes
brown and it's not reversible. ( I like my blue eyes-they are also
hereditary from Mom's side.)
So, as long as the COSOPT and the ALPHAGAN-P, are working very well,
we decided to stick to that regime. I have to use COSOPT twice a
day and ALPHAGAN-P three times per day.
Thank you for allowing me to join the group.
Barbara

Hi Sherry,

You are strong, clear and we are lucky to have you.

Thanks,

Lilian

Interesting that she didn't say why the med's not available in Canada. Has
your pharmacist said anything about that? At least you can get it down here
(funny because we have so many people going up there for meds <g
That's awesome that the Propine has helped you so much!
S.

Probably not... they'll click and forget <g
Think of the lists that you've joined where you've had to confirm your
registration. Do you remember what was said on any of those confirming
emails? Did you *read* the email or just click on the link? I just joined a
list and had to click on the link to confirm my registration but I have *no*
idea what the message said other than "click"!
Some groups I've joined send several "initiation" messages. I glance at
them and then file them away or delete them. From my experience in

Hi Sherry,

I get the point, that people don't read the "details" even when central. Would it be more obvious if it was a separate message, requiring some sort of response, "click" as part of having access to this list intially? Or maybe eveything is ok as is, and the situation I mentioned is very infrequent and everything best as is.

Thanks,

Lilian

Lilian,
On our home page it says:
"IMPORTANT NOTICE
The best advice you should follow is that of your own personal physician. If
you are concerned with your doctor's advice, get a second opinion! While
doctors on the list can offer general observation and comment based on their
medical knowledge, they can not evaluate anyone personally via the Internet.
Their comments should not be interpreted as specific medical directive."
This is also in the List Rules that's sent out when someone joins the group.
There's also information in the List Rules file about the moderation of the
group:
"The list is moderated, which means all posts to the list go through an
approval process, so your message to the group may not appear immediately.
We try to approve messages as quickly as possible but there may be a delay
at times."
No one reads this kind of stuff. I work for a company that has a mailing
list for our customers and at the bottom of every message that shows up on
the list is a tag line "To unsubscribe, go to...." You wouldn't believe
the number of "unsubscribe" messages we get to the list or people writing
"how do I unsubscribe?"!
Sherry
-----Original message-----

Sherry, (and David of fiteyes)

Glad you posted this; I saw this in the paper form, and have been too busy to post here. I think it is not a thorough article, leaves people thinking not much works., I don't like the way even Dr. Ritch's work is addressed. No references are cited. I was going to suggest David might write to the Editor of that publication, or perhaps he would want to submit a different article.

Best,

Lilian

Thought you all might be interested in this exchange:
1)
Me to Julian Gangolli
President North America
Allergan Inc.

Hi Sherry,

You always are on top of everything on this list. I have a small suggestion. I have noticed that sometimes people post what to them seems urgent, and perhaps it is. Would it help if in the original info that people see when they join this listserve (and periodically when you send out the reminder about it) there would be a line suggesting that if something is urgent call their GS or go to the ER (or whatever the appropriate language would be) because this listserve is basically volunteers and interested people with similar issues but is not designed to provide urgent or emergency advice..... and that for many reasons there may be a small lag/time from when the question is posted to when someone is able to respond?

Not sure how exactly you might phrase it briefly.

Or maybe it's in there and I did not notice?

Best, and thank you for so much.

Lilian

This is from the Glaucoma Research Foundation in San Francisco:
http://www.glaucoma.org/treating/update_on_alter.php
Of course, some of you *may* have different results than what the studies
show.... there are always outlier's in any data!
Sherry

Me too..................
Dora

I WOKE UP THIS MORNING WITH MY ENTIRE WHITE PART OF THE EYE BLOODY RED. IT LOOKS LIKE SOME BROKEN BLOOD VESSELS. COULD THIS BE FROM THE FRAVATAN I TAKE/ IS THERE ANOTHER REASON FOR THIS RELATING TO THE GLAUCOMA?

Joanne

fwiw, I was a glaucoma suspect for years because of my cup/disk ratio
alone.
They kept saying that almost certainly it was just an anatomical thing
and probably didn't mean I'd end up with glaucoma......
But I did.
Lynda

I have been seeing an opthalmollogist and my eye pressures are normal and no new bllind spot, no optic nerve damage!
Sherry <sherdh@...

If your glauc docc (you are seeing a glaucoma specialist, arent you?) feels
that they need to come down, then yes, the Xalatan is necessary.
Every eye has a natural blind spot but if the glauc doc notices a new blind
spot in the visual fields and/or can visualize damage to the optic nerve,
then yes, bringing the pressures down is the next step.
Something like 40% of the nerve fiber layer is damaged before it shows up on
the visual fields!
Sherry
-----Original message-----

I've read where some people here are using colloidal silver. I would be
very wary of doing this without getting a physicians approval. Here are
2 reputable sites:
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/alerts/silver/index.htm
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?
fr=310.548
Good nutrition is always beneficial but many of the populars *cures*
benefit only those who make money off of those who are vulnerable.
Alternate medicine promoters may be legitimate but most are ripoffs.
One good rule of thumb is to not purchase from the people who are
promoting it. If you can't get it anywhere else, if it is a blend that
only they make, if it has not been FDA, AMA, Heart, Lung, Cancer,
Glaucoma, or any other society approved, it is most likely fraud.
I am a 2 time cancer survivor and belong to several lists which have
had people using alternate medicine in lieu of chemo and radiation. All
have passed away. I take numerous supplements which I have researched
and checked out with my oncologist. I would never bypass conventional
medicine for alternatives. To complement maybe, never to replace.
You're playing with your eyesight here.

Hi,

My eye Doctor told me about 5 years ago that I was a glaucoma suspect but am not taking any eye drops until recently, the Doctor prescribed Xalatan for me to take at night. The reason is there is a little blind spot when I took the visual field test. Is this medication necessary?

Brina
rivermanfan <rivermanfan@...

I too take Xalatan at night for my Normal tension glaucoma and find it
difficult to focus when reading and I usually give up after about 20
minutes. My worst focus problems, however, happen around mid-morning
for some reason. For me, I just seem to have a problem with glaucoma
meds period. I had to stop Lumigan after a year - my doctor was
horrified with the extent of inflammation and redness I had and put me
on Xalatan instead. Now after a year on Xalatan, the same problems
seem to be recurring.
As bad as they are, I can handle the side effects if it means
perserving my sight for as long as possible.
Mary.

This is just super news, Kaya! I'm so happy for you and hope all of this "good" continues for you. Mary

Hello, I finally had my appointment and I have very good news! My orignal pressures that started this whole thing off were 26 and 24 at their highest. Today at my appointment they were 14. I am not taking drops but I did start taking 1000mg of Vitamin C in the monring and the evening... I also increased my exercise although I exercise quite a bit anyways. NOt really sure why the difference in pressure and I will go back next Thursday and do a day long of every two hours checking my pressures. She did an OCT test where they take cross sectional analysis of the optic nerve and mine was all normal! I have disc cupping in my right eye but it seems it is just the way my eyes are made! She thinks we can just monitor it specially saying my husband and I are wanting to have another baby and so I would perfer not to have anything in my body like that if possible! I am so relieved!!!!!! I will be taking my daughter to the pediatric o pthamolgist in the same establishment
since she as asymetric disc cupping in both of her eyes. I kind of hope she gets one of those OCT tests so we have a really good base line for her. Anyways Thank-you to all who answered my questions and were so supportive! Kaya

I use Lumigan, Trusopt and Alphagan. With the Trusopt, I might have to
blink a few times to be able to focus well. Otherwise I am able to
read right after taking any of the drops.
The only one that obscured vision a little longer was Azopt, because
it has a milky consistency.
-Deah

Hi Pam,
Yes, I have noticed that also. Seems hard to focus after I put the
drops in.
Not sure why that happens.

Dr. Krupin, as recommended by Dr. Ritch, heads up the University Eye
Specialists group. I'd say they are probably the leading glaucoma
specialty group in the city.
As noted, Dr. Brown at Rush is highly recommended as well but I have
no personal knowledge of him.
Dr. Krupin is one of the top glaucoma specialists in the world--not
just in Chicago or in the U.S. Whether you would consider him
communicative I'd say depends on your criteria, I guess. He'll answer
all your questions but sometimes you need to know what to ask.
Dr. Lisa Rosenberg, also of University Eye Specialists, has also been
recommended by other glaucoma specialists I have spoken to.
-Deah

Hi everyone

A short while ago I e-mailed this list and in a response someone mentioned that they were doing a glaucoma course.. I would be very interested to hear more details about this course. I have done a google search but cannot find it.

Please could the person get back to me?

Many thanks

Becky

Hi all,
I am a frequent reader of this site (thanks for all the info!)
Does anybody know names of good and open (communicative) specialists
in the Chicago area? Perhaps someone at the University Eye Specialists
or elsewhere?

I will be forever grateful to Dr. Steven Brown at the Chicago Glaucoma Consultants. He has an office at Rush Hospital, Evanston, and Glenview. You can read about him at ChicagoGlaucomaConsultants.com

I live in the way southern suburbs and it's well worth the 2 hour trip. He's got me so fixed up now that I only have to make the trip every nine months. He has done both my trabs and Christmas eve I woke up with my eye swollen shut and he gave up his Christmas brunch to see me in his office. Allergic reaction to one of the drops...thank goodness that was all!

Had an awful experience at Arbor Center for Eye Care in Homewood in case you live down this way.

Hope this helps

MaryKay/Illinois
rachel5152001 <rachel5152001@...

Hi all,
I am a frequent reader of this site (thanks for all the info!)
Does anybody know names of good and open (communicative) specialists
in the Chicago area? Perhaps someone at the University Eye Specialists
or elsewhere?

Please send me the info, Dorothy! Thank you so much, Mary

I too take Xalatan at night for my Normal tension glaucoma and find it
difficult to focus when reading and I usually give up after about 20
minutes. My worst focus problems, however, happen around mid-morning
for some reason. For me, I just seem to have a problem with glaucoma
meds period. I had to stop Lumigan after a year - my doctor was
horrified with the extent of inflammation and redness I had and put me
on Xalatan instead. Now after a year on Xalatan, the same problems
seem to be recurring.
As bad as they are, I can handle the side effects if it means
perserving my sight for as long as possible.
Mary.

The Cosopt bottle is hard a little hard to squeeze. Is the problem that
the bottle is empty before a month, or is there still a little left in
the bottl