New Technology Promises Easier Glaucoma Cure

New Technology Promises Easier Glaucoma Cure

Typically, glaucoma is a disease that occurs as one gets older. And, much like high blood pressure, it is a disease that rarely causes symptoms, which is why it's so hard to detect. Glaucoma can work at in the background for years, silently working to destroy your sight. By the time you are aware of it, the damage has been done.

It's important to know that glaucoma is not merely one disease, it is several. Glaucoma is basically any vision problem caused or aggravated by increased pressure from the inside the eye that results in the optic nerves being destroyed. Currently, over thirty million people in the world suffer from this eye disease. Sadly, as of yet, there is no cure for glaucoma. There are, however, treatments that can be used in an attempt to control it's progression and prevent further damage to the eye.

Either medicine or having a surgical procedure is the treatment that most doctors will recommend. Most doctors will take the conservative approach and use drugs as their first choice of treatments. If medications prove to be ineffective in relieving the eye pressure or if for some reason the patient cannot take medications - (for example if the woman is pregnant) - surgery may be the only option.

It's a sad fact of life that many people, all over the world, are forced to forego surgeries that they really need simply because of the high cost of surgeries these days. After all, it requires many years to train a competent eye surgeon. And some years of practice after that before a competent surgeon becomes a skilled surgeon. And even with a skilled surgeon, surgical and post-surgical complications occur much too frequently. In fact, there are very few surgeons in the world that have the training and expertise required to relieve eye pressure using surgery.

The surgery is tricky for a couple of very basic reasons. The surgeon has to remove part of the eye wall. He has do this to allow the excess liquid that is causing the eye pressure to drain from the eye. Remove too little and the liquid will not drain and the pressure will not be relieved. Remove too much of the wall and the eye will lose too much of it's protection.

The difficulties involved are part of what so many people are excited about with this new and promising technology for treating glaucoma patients. Earlier this year, IOPtima, an Israeli company developed a new laser technology that promises to simplify glaucoma surgery to the level where it doesn't take a skilled surgeon to perform it. Once trained to use the new technology, any regular, competent eye surgeon can perform this operation. This is revolutionary.

Assuming that these longer clinical trials proceed as swimmingly as the earlier trial, an average optical surgeon should be capable of performing the previously intimidating glaucoma operation as smoothly and easy as cataract operations are performed currently. This should significantly bring down the surgical costs so that more patients can afford it. It should also place the ability to perform the operation into thousands of more surgeons throughout the world, making glaucoma surgery more accessible as well.

It's true that the use of lasers for eye surgery is not new. After all, lasers have been used in the United States for a decade to correct the vision of near and far sighted patients. What is new, however, is applying laser technologies towards the treatments of other eye diseases such as glaucoma.

POST COMMENT

About CDPD Technology Tesla Technique Rip-Off – Will we must think this? Clipping Path - The Greatest Technique of Removing an Object Getting To Know Current Technology Concepts Hypnotic Mind Control Techniques That (Ethically) Put People Under Your Control Build Your Team Using Open Space Technology Kaar Technologies is sued for Breach of Contract Most crucial things about Surgical Technology Program Careers Ways to Win the Lottery Using Science Not Luck Warcraft Leveling Techniques Heat Exchange With Shell And Tube Technology Restless Leg Syndrome Techniques That Beyond Doubt Can Work A Dungeon Technique for Instance Leveling