Seeking out an Eye Doctor in Durham or Roxboro for your Glaucoma Solutions
Glaucoma, or damage to the optic nerve, is known as one of the precursors of permanent blindness that must be addressed and treated through an eye doctor in Durham, NC and other cities. However, new research shows that the treatment may need an extra component:
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Sun Yat-sen University in China have shown that acute glaucoma in mice is largely an inflammatory disease and that high pressure in the eye causes vision loss by setting in motion an inflammatory response similar to that evoked by bacterial infections.
The study, published in this week’s issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has immediate clinical relevance in treating the tens of millions of people worldwide from what is known as acute closed-angle glaucoma.
“Our research is the first to show an inflammatory mechanism by which high ocular pressure causes vision loss in acute glaucoma patients,” said co-senior author Kang Zhang, MD, PhD and professor of ophthalmology.
The danger of being afflicted with glaucoma resonates a lot among Americans– and may have a greater impact as an inflammatory illness. Approximately two million people already have the disorder while two million more might only discover they have it later on. If you feel glaucoma will limit your visual options later in life, a reputable eyecare practice such as the North Carolina Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat will help you.
Closed-angle glaucoma normally occurs among ten percent of patients in America. Your eye doctor may rule it as such when there’s a rapid rise in eye pressure due to the inability to channel the eye’s lubricating fluid─ the aqueous humor─ over the various sections of the eye.
The joint study revealed that it’s the eye pressure that compounds the inflammation by activating a protein that works against microbial infections. Research co-author Dr. Zhang Kang says that the anti-microbial protein also kills cells in the retina. The only treatment seen to inhibit the eye’s production of these substances at present is a drug that’s already undergoing tests for cancer and stroke patients.
Cary, Durham, Roxboro Glaucoma Treatments
A skilled Durham eye doctor is your best ally in determining your options to cope with glaucoma. It will make a difference in staving off the danger of blindness.
(Source: Acute Glaucoma Discovered to be an Inflammatory Disease, UCSD News, 11 July 2014)
