Postoperative Increased Intraocular Pressure

Postoperative Increased Intraocular Pressure General Information

The diagnosis of Postoperative Increased Intraocular Pressure is given to a patient who presents abnormally high levels of intraocular pressure that are thought to be due to his or her recent undergoing of a clinical procedure. In most medical cases, the patient had undergone a recent eye surgery. The clinical phrase “increased intraocular pressure” is synonym to “ocular hypertension”; these phrases define a clinical disorder in which the patient presents unusually high levels of pressure inside the eye(s). The pressure of the eye(s) is measured in mm Hg (millimeters of mercury). The healthy eye pressure should range between 10 and 21 mm Hg. A patient who presents an eye pressure of over 21 mm Hg is diagnosed with ocular hypertension.

If a patient is suffering from this eye medical condition (Postoperative Increased Intraocular Pressure), then he or she is probably more prone to developing glaucoma. Glaucoma is a more severe disorder that is caused by damage to the patient’s optic nerve (this can be caused by abnormally high levels of intraocular hypertension). The presence of glaucoma can lead to several dangerous and unwanted complications that can include permanent vision loss. Studies estimated that about 6 million individuals in the US are suffering from ocular hypertension, either from the Postoperative Increased Intraocular Pressure, or from ocular hypertension that has other clinical causes. Other studies have determined that black individuals present higher ocular pressure than white patients. Female patients are known to be more prone to developing this eye medical disorder than male individuals. The risk of female patients of developing this medical condition increases after the woman has reached menopause. The patient’s intraocular pressure rises along with aging. Most individuals who are diagnosed with this condition are older than 40.

Postoperative Increased Intraocular Pressure Symptoms

The patient’s eye pressure is measured with a special medical instrument called a tonometer. Even if the individual is suffering from increased intraocular pressure, his or her optic nerve appears to be normal. The patient does not normally present any evident signs of glaucoma. The presence of this medical condition (Postoperative Increased Intraocular Pressure) may be due to an abnormality of the eye’s drainage system (the angle of the eye). Through a medical technique (gonioscopy) your ophthalmologist will be able to see the angle of your eye(s). Narrowed or closed angles may be due to a mistake during your eye medical surgery, during an inflammation of the eye tissue that was caused by the medical procedure, and so on. If a patient is suffering from Postoperative Increased Intraocular Pressure he will not present any other symptoms of any other ocular medical conditions (apart from his or her increased intraocular pressure). It is very important for the physician to determine the exact cause that has lead to the developing of this symptom (some eye clinical illnesses may trigger ocular hypertension).

Most patients who are diagnosed with this eye medical condition (Postoperative Increased Intraocular Pressure) do not present any unusual or bothersome clinical manifestations (such as pain, redness, tiredness, headaches, and so on). The only way in which one can determine whether he or she is suffering from this eye condition is to undergo an eye medical check. Due to this matter, eye exams with the patient’s ophthalmologist ought to be performed on a regular basis. It is very important for the physician to diagnose this disorder in its early stages, in order for the patient to be able to effectively manage it and prevent further complications (optic nerve damage, glaucoma, vision loss, and so on).

Postoperative Increased Intraocular Pressure Treatment

Once an individual has been diagnosed with the presence of Postoperative Increased Intraocular Pressure, his or her eye health care provider (ophthalmologist) will have to seek a proper therapy method that will grant the patient with the beneficial results that he or she seeks. Most therapy options against this medical condition involve applying a set of eye medications that should help you lower your intraocular pressure. The key to the success of this treatment is proper applying of the medication (ask your personal physician for a set of detailed instructions regarding this matter; you may also find a set of useful information in the medicine’s label) and complying with all of the instructions that your eye specialist has recommended you. If you did not perform all of these, you will not benefit from all the beneficial effects that such a therapy could provide you with. Furthermore, not respecting your physician’s indications may determine a worsening of your medical condition (Postoperative Increased Intraocular Pressure).

The most common medical products that are employed in the therapy against this eye medical condition come in the form of eye drops. In some cases, the patient will have to follow a therapy with 2 types of eye drops or more, depending on the severity of his or her clinical condition. During your therapy with any medication, you will have to undergo regular eye medical exams at your ophthalmologist’s office. Your first vision should occur 3 or 4 weeks after the beginning of your treatment trial. Your intraocular pressures will be re-checked in order for the physician to tell whether the therapy is working properly. If the test results are promising and you are not suffering from any severe side effects of the medicine, you will continue your therapy. However, in some clinical cases, the doctor will prescribe the individual a new medical product in order to achieve greater benefits. Your visits to your ophthalmologist’s office will be scheduled by your doctor depending on the medicine that you are using, as some medical products provide the first beneficial effects after 6-8 weeks of therapy (among them are: Travatan, Lumigan, Xalatan, and so on).

Surgical approach is another therapy method that may be employed in the fight against Postoperative Increased Intraocular Pressure if the risks that this type of treatment is known to generally be associated with are lower than the patient’s risk of developing glaucoma or other severe complications. Laser therapy is also a common treatment option, however a risky one nevertheless. This type of therapy is mainly prescribed to those who do not tolerate their treatment with eye medicines.