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anyone have glaucoma diagnosed in 40's? anyone have glaucoma for over 40 years and have sight?

Posted , 17 users are following.

over40
over40

How does one deal with anxiety of it all? Wish there were support groups in area.

0 likes, 33 replies

33 Replies

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  • ana02829
    ana02829 over40

    Posted

    Thank God I read this! Thank you so much! I am now a suspected case of glaucoma and was devastated about how my life would be with the vision loss. I am 30 and a paediatrician and I wish to work at least more 40 years! Thank you so much. That really inspired me!
  • mikeaust
    mikeaust over40

    Posted

    Hi, i was just diagnosed with severe glaucoma with 40 percent vision loss and a badly damaged optic nerve. Im only 44 and the dr says i likely need surgery sad im scared of going blind and just watched a you tube video of a trabeculectomy,terrifying stuff!

  • david39992
    david39992 over40

    Posted

    I was diagnosed with glaucoma at 29 and am now 75. The first few years were difficult because the eye drops had to be taken every four hours and they blurred my vision. Better drops were developed and it was clear sailing with no problems until 6 years ago when the pressure in both eyes started rising and the number of different eye drops were increased to four. I had an express shunt placed in my right eye which stabilized the pressure with no eye drops required. I still take four different drops in my left eye and the pressure is OK. I have had cataract surgery for both eyes. There has been some deterioration in the right optic nerve but overall my vision is very good. I made a spreadsheet for my eye drop schedule and I tick off each application because I have been taking drops so long that I sometimes can not remember if I have taken them even a few minutes afterwards. I erase the tick marks every morning as start over again. I still worry about my eyes sometimes and I see the eye doctor every four months now for nerve scan, fields test and pressure checks. I consider myself very lucky the I still have good vision after all these years. Good luck with your glaucoma.

    • famous37001
      famous37001 david39992

      Posted

      I am interested in your history.  I was diagnosed at 30 and am 77.  I've been lucky and have had good medical care.  I too had cataract surgery.  I use 2 drops and recently stopped using dorzolamide due to skin irritation and replaced it with betaxolol.The other drop is latanoprost. My right optic nerve has a little damage and the left is totally undamaged. Please share your experience with the express shunt and the nerve scans.  One doctorI saw believes I need to get OCT regularly and another relies solely on the field test to track optic nerve damage.  Thanks.   Marion

    • david39992
      david39992 famous37001

      Posted

      Hello Marion. I take Azarga, Azopt and Alphagan in my left eye twice a day and Lumigan in both eyes at bedtime. Four is the maximum number of eye drops and the only problem with all those drops is that my eye is always red and irritated. My doctor monitors my glaucoma very closely these days and sometimes only does a scan, sometimes only a fields test and other times he does both. There is quite a bit damage in my right optic nerve and like you my left eye is undamaged. The shunt was placed in my right eye by a glaucoma specialist almost 6 years ago. The operation was a piece of cake, but there was a lot of drama during the post-op period because the pressure was either too high or too low until things stabilized after a month or so. My vision in that eye took quite a while to return as well. But since then the shunt has worked well. The pressure in both eyes runs between 16 and 20....sometimes a little higher. If I live long enough I will probably have to have a shunt placed in my left eye, but right now both eyes are stable. Having glaucoma is not fun, and there is always the fear of going blind lurking in the background. But I have been very lucky so far and am grateful for that.
    • famous37001
      famous37001 david39992

      Posted

      David, thank you for the details re your condition and treatment.  When I was diagnosed and for years after that, I often worried about going blind.  Now that I am 77, less so.  In the last several months I have developed eczema around my left eye that causes significant itching and scratching.  The scratching seems impossible to stop completely.  Steroids help for a short time but of course raise the IOP.  My eye doctor after trying different solutions is now testing whether or not the eyedrops are causing the allergy or irritation thus eczema. The same preservative is in all the drops I use.  Now I am using one preservative free eyedrop (very expensive)  and will see the doctor in 2 weeks. This is my first major problem since the diagnosis.  The doctor wants to find the cause of the irritation. This is a lofty goal as eczema is chronic and elusive. I too continue to be grateful for my good fortune.
    • david39992
      david39992 famous37001

      Posted

      Hello Marian. I get episodes of eczema on my face so I can relate to your situation. Steroids are bad news....I've had some bad experiences with them in the past. I went to see the optometrist a while ago to have some eye lashes removed from my eyes. The Lumigan makes the lashes grow longer and mine are growing downwards into my eyes. While I was there they told me about some new preservative free eye drops and wipes, which I am trying and like very much. They are Thea Blephaclean and Thea Hyabak. They cost about the same as the Systane and Refresh products. The drops come in a reusable container good for three months. Good luck with your eczema.

  • Memyselfand1
    Memyselfand1 over40

    Posted

    Hi,

    I am 42 and was given my diagnosis last week. I was born with a lazy right eye and wore corrective lenses until I was 9, and always had great eyesight after.

    i started getting severe migraines a few years ago, and attributed it to job stress and computer screen lighting. Then I started bumping in to walls, and couldn't seem to walk a straight line. I attributed it all to being distracted.

    This year I realized I was having trouble focusing my eyes and words were blurry and it was getting harder to focus so I made an optometrist appointment assuming I just needed reading glasses.

    I left the appointment with the information that I had hemorraghing in my right eye, the optic pressure in both eyes was extremely high in both eyes, which caused my migraines, cupping and nerve degeneration in both eyes, but more sever in my right eye and a prescription for glasses with all the bells and whistles needed that I have to wear all the time.

    I was schedules an appointment in a month to have the pressure rechecked and another OCT scan.

    My appointment was last week. my eye pressure was okay at the appointment but the OCT scan showed my right eyes cupping and nerve degeneration is over what I'm told is a "panic rate". I have to go back next month to have my eye pressure checked multiple times throughout the day.

    i told my optometrist I googled after my first appointment but that I know its not the best resource, but I need to know what all of this means "Glaucoma" was her reply, nothing more just "Glaucoma and we will see you next month".

    I already suspect new visual changes and its only been a week. I don't know if I should call and let the office know my suspicions. i have a fear of medical professionals because I have a pain condition and many health professionals think I am faking, a hypochondriac, or trying to get pain meds.

    I don't know what panic rate means, I dont know if every change is major. I am just scared, I am a single mom and I have to work full time to support them. I cant do my job if I lose eyesight.

  • mary91188
    mary91188 over40

    Posted

    anyone out there had glaucoma surgery and still has very limited vision 4 weeks post-op?

    • marg04364
      marg04364 mary91188

      Posted

      Hi.. I have just had trabeculectomy surgery in my left eye.. 2 and a half weeks ago. My pressures have been up to 28 / 30. Drops brought pressures down to around 20. Field tests show I have lost some sight. I was told laser wouldnt work for me. A releasable stitch gave way when they were nearly to the end of the op and fluid began draining out. They had to put an extra 5 stitches in to stop that. Vision was blurry and still is a bit but not so bad now. I think that could be from the drops. So it should improve. I'm having Prednefrin Forte every 2 hours and Chlorsig every four hours. (I think I am to have those for 3 months or so.) Last week i had to have injections to stop scarring.. and will again next week. The extra stitches can come out then also. I'm not sure how long injections have to go on for. I was not told about that before hand! I have found You Tube videos helpful to find out about glaucoma. But it is in my family. I have a sister who is legally blind. She was about 30 when she went to a specialist who was very offhand and said she was too young to have it. Five years later she saw another specialist who said she was in the advanced stages. She has had laser and trabeculectomies. Her first trabeculectomy didnt work but subsequent one worked for quite a few years. In later years she has had tubes put in both eyes. She is now 65. So the earlier you get treatment the better. It is only about 12 months ago that she hasnt been able to read at all. In the daytime she can still see enough to go for walks.

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