Pressure and Your Eyes
The pressure in your eyes is important for your overall vision health. Ocular hypertension, the condition of having an excess amount of pressure in your eyes, is dangerous and increases your risk of glaucoma (although this does not necessitate that you will develop the condition).
The pressure in your eyes is affected by the production of excess fluid in the eyes or poor drainage of the fluid from the eyes. This causes damage to the optic nerve and can cause glaucoma and permanent vision loss if left untreated.
Normal eye pressure is somewhere between 10 and 21 mmHg.
Glaucoma and Intraocular Pressure
Glaucoma is a condition involving excess pressure in the eyes due to improper production and/or drainage of fluid in the front of the eye. Aqueous humor, the fluid that your eyes produce, blocks channels in the eye that regularly are drained through the trabecular meshwork. The mounting pressure that results causes glaucoma.
Signs and symptoms of glaucoma include redness in the eyes, loss of vision, eye pain, nausea or vomiting, seeing halos around lights, or hazy/narrowed vision. The first sign of glaucoma is the loss of peripheral vision, which can go unnoticed for a great duration of time. Without regular eye exams, patients may not know there is any damage to their optic nerve or that they are experiencing hypertension.
When your intraocular pressure (that is, the pressure on the inside of your eyes) is higher than normal, you run the risk of other eye conditions as well, such as pseudoexfoliation syndrome and pigment dispersion syndrome.
Eye Conditions Involving Pressure
The exact cause of pseudoexfoliation syndrome is unknown, however it is known to increase eye pressure and precipitate glaucoma. It is a condition in which light gray, flakey material forms on the eye’s pupil margin and anterior lens capsule. When these dandruff-like substances form, they can block the trabecular meshwork of the eye and therefore cause the increase in pressure, as the eye is unable to drain properly.
Pigment dispersion syndrome is a condition in which the colored part of the eye, known as the iris, begins to flake. The pieces that flake off of the iris become lodged in posterior parts of the cornea. This can cause an increased pressure in the eye (hypertension) and pigmantary glaucoma if the flakes break off and clog the anterior chamber of the eye from which the aqueous fluid of the eye usually drains.
Regular Eye Maintenance
Regular eye exams include a test for glaucoma, which tests the pressure in your eyes. These tests are quick and painless. An eye doctor will dilate your pupils and conduct an exam that measures the pressure in your eyes, known as tonometry. They will also inspect the drainage angle of your eyes (gonioscopy); take a look at your optic nerve (ophthalmoscopy); conduct a visual field test, which measures your peripheral vision; and measure your cornea’s (the clear film at the front of the eye) thickness (pachymetry). These tests will focus on any aspect that may indicate the presence of glaucoma, which would be additionally indicative of improper circulation of fluid in your eyes or hypertension.
You may be prescribed eye drops by your doctor that cause the build-up in the front of the eye to be reduced, or increase the flow of fluid through the eye. Laser surgery and microsurgical options are available for more severe cases.
Consult Your Doctor
The pressure in your eyes is exceedingly important to your overall vision health. Hypertension can be the cause of glaucoma, and can lead to blindness. While the blindness caused by glaucoma is not reversible, if managed properly, glaucoma usually does not lead to permanent vision loss.
It is important that you continue to visit your eye doctor regularly. Schedule a visit with Dr. Ghosheh of Laser for Eyes. If you have more questions about eye pressure or other eye conditions that may be affecting you, you can also take a look at Dr. Ghosheh’s medical blog for further information.