Glaucoma

High doses or long-term use of prednisone can also cause glaucoma. Glaucoma is the increase of pressure inside the eye. Glaucoma is painless, but can become very serious and lead to permanent vision loss or even blindness. People taking prednisone should alert the prescribing physician to a family history of glaucoma and have a regular eye examination including a glaucoma test.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is the build up of fluid pressure, called intraocular pressure, inside the eye. This increase in pressure could damage the optic nerve. The optic nerve is light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye composed of nerve fibers that connect the retina to the brain. The optic nerve is essential to vision, as it transmits images to the brain.

Glaucoma is diagnosed after damage to the optic nerve occurs. High intraocular pressure may cause vision to worsen and eventually lead to blindness in a few years. Some people may have increased eye pressure, yet no damage to the optic nerve, and may never develop glaucoma. However, high intraocular pressure does indicate an increased risk of developing glaucoma.

Secondary glaucoma. This type of glaucoma is less common than open-angle in the general population, but would be more common in people with Inflammatory Bowel Disease who are taking prednisone or other corticosteroids. It may also occur as a complication of another condition such as surgery, advanced cataracts, eye tumors, uveitis, or diabetes. Secondary glaucoma can be either of the open-angle or angle-closure type.

Open-angle glaucoma. This is the more common of the two types of glaucoma and is sometimes called wide-angle glaucoma. In this type of glaucoma, the flow of eye fluid through the eye drain (trabecular meshwork) occurs too slowly. The fluid then builds up inside the eye, increasing pressure.

Angle-closure glaucoma. In this type of glaucoma, fluid is blocked from leaving the eye through the trabecular meshwork by part of the iris. Fluid builds up suddenly, causing an abrupt increase in eye pressure, severe pain and nausea, blurred vision, and eye redness. If not treated promptly, blindness can occur in a few days.

Persons At Risk For Glaucoma

• People taking corticosteroids.
• African Americans older than age 40.
• People older than age 60, especially Hispanics.
• People with a family history of glaucoma.
• People with poor vision, high blood pressure, heart disease, retinal detachment, eye tumors and eye inflammations such as chronic uveitis and iritis.

Symptoms Of Glaucoma

In many cases, glaucoma may be present without any symptoms. By the time symptoms such as the loss of peripheral or side vision occur, the disease has already progressed considerably. An eye exam every 1 to 2 years may help in detecting glaucoma early. Those taking corticosteroids should talk to their eye professional about how often an eye exam should be completed in order to check for signs of glaucoma or other eye problems.

Diagnosing Glaucoma

Glaucoma is diagnosed through two simple and painless tests. The first is dilation. The doctor puts drops into the eyes that dilate the pupils. When the pupils are large, the doctor can use a light to see to the retina at the back of the eye and look for signs of glaucoma or other disorders. When the eyes are dilated, vision is blurry. Some eye doctors may use newer techniques, such as retinal imaging, which takes a high-resolution picture of the eye and obviates the need for dilation.

The second test is tonometry. During an initial tonometry test (pneumotonometry), machine flattens the cornea with a small puff of air against the eye. If this test shows any abnormalities another type of tonometry test may be performed.

Treating Glaucoma

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