How Is Glaucoma Symptoms Related To Hypertension?

Glaucoma, as we all know, is an eye disorder associated with damage of the optic nerve which results in vision loss, in severe conditions, even leading to blindness. The main reason for the damage is the pressure buildup inside the eyes due to the corneal fluid retaining inside the eye and not draining out.

Glaucoma has been said to be related to Hypertension also. The findings are limited, restricted and inconclusive. Let’s see how glaucoma symptoms and hypertension are related and what all findings do we have in this context.

According to medical experts, high blood pressure tends to increase eye pressure. It readily affects the drainage mechanism of the eye and thus the excess IO fluid retains in the eyes building up pressure.

Blood pressure and eye pressure can be said to have been proportional to each other. However, the changes are not very drastic. While high blood pressure increases the risk of glaucoma, it also affects the retina and can cause hypertensive retinopathy.

Low blood pressure (or hypotension) on the other hand, as several large studies have shown, can also be a risk factor for developing glaucoma. So, both low and high blood pressure can cause eye diseases. With high BP, the chances are higher.

Risk factors associated with glaucoma

Eye pressure

Family History

Age

Ethnicity

Ocular perfusion pressure

Controlling hypertension

• Watch out for your weight. Maintain a healthy body weight and control obesity or being overweight. For this, limit your junk intake and involve regular exercise in your routine.
• If you have high blood pressure, eating a diet high in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products can work wonders for you. A good eating pattern anyways is quite beneficial for your overall health as well.  while limiting saturated fat and cholesterol.
• Alcohol consumption can be detrimental for your health. Drinking more than the optimum amounts lead to a rise in your blood pressure and thus increasing the risk of glaucoma. 
• Chronic stress may play a role in high blood pressure. Your mental health is one of the most important prospects for you. A wrong diet along with an unhealthy eating pattern is nothing but trouble waiting for you. Consider the source of your stress, such as work, family, finances, or illness. Once you’ve identified the source of your stress, think about ways to eliminate or reduce it.
• Regular doctor visits are also essential for controlling your blood pressure. If your blood pressure is under control, talk to your doctor about how often you should check it.

Glaucoma treatment: Clinical methods

Careprost Eye drop

• Careprost is an eye drop introduced by the company Sun Pharma and is a trusted ally in the world of eye care and eye drops.
• It contains 0.03% Bimatoprost which is the active salt in the medication.
• Glaucoma is mainly caused by increased pressure inside the eyes due to the inability of the excess liquid being drained out. Careprost works by helping in the outflow of this liquid and reducing eye pressure.
• The dosage of Careprost is decided by your doctor. Avoid over-applying. If you do, rinse your eyes with cold water immediately.
• Let your eyes settle for about 2-3 minutes after applying Careprost and keep the dropper away so that it doesn’t touch your eyes.
• If you forget to take your dose, you can apply the drop when you remember, but don’t take multiple doses because this can be harmful.
• Careprost has the following side effects – Itching eyes, Throbbing eyes, Redness and swelling of the eyes, darker skin tone around the eyes, growth of eyelashes, hazy vision etc.
• With pregnancy and breastfeeding women, a prior consultation from a doctor is a must.
• Avoid driving or operating machinery since the medications cause dizziness and lightheadedness.
• Although alcohol does not appear to have any negative effects or interact with the properties of Careprost, you should consult your doctor first. 
• Misoprostol, dinoprostone and other medications in the same class as Careprost. And thus, they can interact with Careporst and give out negative results. So, consult your doctor regarding this prior.
• The medicine takes a different time span to show effects in people. The average time duration is around 4-16 weeks.
•  Careprost should be stored at room temperature in a dark, dry place away from humidity and sunlight. Keep out of reach of children. 

Other clinical methods

Apart from careprost, there are other prescription medications as well which help in curing glaucoma. They include-

• Prostaglandins-

   They increase outflow of fluid in the eye thus draining the extra fluid and reducing eye pressure. Latanoprost (Xalatan), travoprost (Travatan Z), tafluprost (Zioptan), bimatoprost (Lumigan) and latanoprostene bunod (Vyzulta etc are all medicines from this category. Essentially, careprost belongs to the same category as it is a prostaglandin analogue.

• Beta-blockers-

  It reduces the production of fluid in teye to prevent excess fluid deposition and thus reducing the incidence of glaucoma. Timolol (Betimol, Istalol, Timoptic) and betaxolol (Betoptic) are part of the beta blockers category.

• Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors-
  These are the same as beta blockers as they also reduce the production of fluid inside the eye. Dorzolamide (Trusopt) and brinzolamide (Azopt) can be listed in this category.

 

• Miotic agents-

  These also increase the outflow of the excessive liquid from the eye. pilocarpine (Isopto Carpine) is an example of this category of medicine. 

 

• Rho kinase inhibitor– This medicine lowers the eye pressure substantially by suppressing or curbing the rho kinase enzyme. This enzyme is mainly responsible for abnormal increases in the intraocular fluid. It is available as netarsudil (Rhopressa). 

 

• Alpha-adrenergic agonists-

  This category of medicine reduces the production of aqueous humor and thus increases the outflow of fluid from the eye essentially reducing the risk of increased eye pressure and strain. Apraclonidine (Iopidine) and brimonidine (Alphagan P, Qoliana) are some categories included.

Surgery

Another clinical method is surgery however it is usually the last resort because this involves life threatening procedures and risk factors and after-effects.

Here are some surgeries you can look forward to treat your glaucoma-

Laser therapy- For open angle glaucoma, this laser therapy is a good option to go for. Your doctor uses a small laser beam and open clogged channels in the mesh tube. THis helps in draining out the fluid. You can expect a few weeks until you see the full effect of this surgery.

Filtering surgery- A surgical procedure called trabeculectomy is applied here. In this, your surgeon creates an opening in the clear portion of the eye and removes a part of the mesh tube to facilitate draining of liquid. 

MIGS- MIGS, also called minimally invasive glaucoma surgery is also prescribed which is less risky. It involves many different kinds of techniques and is often combined with cataract surgery.