First our friend Colleen won the first of her games. Then we found out
that my surgery worked with ocular pressure down to 15 (so I continue
Lumigan drops and we hope it holds for a long time). Then we learned
that our nephew Max was being born (a month early but that wasn't a
surprise). Then we learned that my cousin got through her surgery well
(pathology results due today). Then Colleen won her second game. This
is Colleen:
http://www.6footsix.com/

We celebrated with Thai food from Thai Thai. YUM!

The ferrets picked up on our tension and were worried yesterday
morning, but we were so cheerful after the good news that Telemna spent
a lot of time playing cheerful little ferret tunes on her toy pianos
later in the day.

Waiting today to hear about my cousin's pathology report.

Late next week I'll have glaucoma surgery in my better eye so like last
time I'll probably be totally off-line for at least 2 days, then on for
tiny amounts for a half week to a week, and not returning to full steam
for monitor use for about 2 weeks. That is mostly because light is just
hard to handle afterward, even turning the setting way down on the
monitor.

For those who are in a similar position:
The surgery I had was the ALT surgery. You are awake. Numbing drops are
used and if half the eye is being done there are 150 hits with a
gorgeous gem-like green argon laser. It stings a little when they are
near certain nerves at the 3:00 and 9:00 positions, but nothing even
hinting at terrible -- just a little stinging. Then you go home to be
rechecked in a month and use steroid drops for a few days as well as
your usual meds. Mostly, it's a cinch. The aim is to improve drainage
and prevent further damage to the optic nerve. It can't repair what is
already lost, but can slow or stop vision loss. When it works the
effect lasts anywhere from 6 months to forever and lasts longer if
drops are continued. Some get a large enough effect to go back to
gentler drops some need to stay with stronger drops like I do. Each
half of the eye can be done twice with this particular procedure if
more surgeries of this type are needed.

There are other surgical approaches, including multiple laser ones,
and the type used depends on the type of glaucoma, the degree of the
problem, how responsive it has been, and other factors. Even race
matters in this case since it can increase risk rates for specific
types. Those with Asian ancestry (and I think also Native American
ancestry but am not sure) are more prone than others to a form that
requires jumping fast. Those with Black ancestry usually need to start
testing eye pressure earlier than ones with only White ancestry. Family
history of glaucoma increases the risk rate but anyone might be
vulnerable so everyone should have eye pressure checked, especially
with age. The risk rate increases with age, but we had have three or
four friends who began it in their 20s or 30s, and childhood cases
have occurred but are rare. Some info:
http://www.glaucoma.org/treating/surgery.php

Pressure checks are about the easiest things imaginable. Most people
just need the simplest one that involves staring into a light and
having a little puff of air blown. That's it, no drops or anything. The
more precise ones that ophthalmologists use when the numbers are more
serious are also easy but do involve a set of simple numbing drops.

These days there are 4 categories of medications for glaucoma, with
multiple meds in each category. Even those of us with asthma can be
safely treated with drops for as long as those remain effective.

In my own case I guess that I first developed ocular hypertension in my
30s or maybe early 40s, then pre-glaucoma, and i guess I've had full
blown glaucoma for at least 5 years now. I haven't keep close track
on how long it's been, but long enough that I've been though 3 meds
till they didn't work for me. Mine is the open angle kind and came on
slowly. Glaucoma can also happen suddenly if the eye is injured (such
as a blow to the eye) or if the drainage just closes off. Then the eye
becomes red and hard and this is a medical emergency requiring rapid
response to avoid losing too much of the optic nerve. Signs like that
don't happen with the slow onset but a small portion of people
(including me) do get eye discomfort with the increases in pressure,
though most have no warning signals (that they notice) until things
are pretty advanced -- which is where the hazard comes in, and is the
position you want to avoid being in yourselves.

Glaucoma can not always be treated, but it usually can. Yet, about half
the people who get it go blind simply because they do not get tested in
time and treated in time.

First portions of the visual field go and then things can get worse.
If you find that you have to thread a needle by holding it in front of
an eye instead of in the middle, if you regularly step into trouble
because you don't see it, if you regularly bump into people or things
when you turn or walk through a crowded area then you might have some
visual field loss. If you have shadow where once there was vision then
you do have some visual field loss; I find being aware of the large
shadow I have in one spot annoying but it does remind me to be more
careful how I move, though recently another person with some field loss
and I wound up in each others shadowed areas and collided at a grocery
store -- luckily with both of us finding it funny. The most precise
visual field tests are annoying and boring but they also are completely
painless.

And, YES, ferrets can get glaucoma, too. Usually it is not found until
there has been vision loss so the treatment is geared to reducing or
stopping pain and avoiding the risk of the eye rupturing. In the FHL
Archives (and I think maybe the FML Archives) there is info on
treatment with drops from Julie Fossa:
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/SG11175
though at times the ferret's eyes need removal instead.

If you have a ferret with protuberant eye (or eyes) or apparent pain in
eyes get the ferret vet care right away.

Meanwhile do me a favor that will help you: go have your eye pressures
checked and have your family members and friends get theirs checked.
The blindness you prevent could be your own or that of someone you
love.

[Posted in FML 5960]