Wolfy wrote:
>Definition for Ed, et al:
>Sukie don't see no good. (I'm sorry, I just had to do that. I can't
>help but find humor in just about anything. Just my nature.)
LOL! Okay, so that people don't overly worry. I've had extreme myopia
(extreme nearsightedness) for ages, and it's been bad enough that for
over 30 years I've been legally blind WITHOUT glasses but luckily even
now I correct pretty well, not as well as I used to, but I'm not
complaining about what I get. Glasses are great!
*****Since I have heard that someone is giving an absolutely whacky
and untrue "explanation" for why my eyes are as they are, I'll take
a bit of time telling about some eye problems I have and how they are
handled. The reason I am annoyed about that rumor when i ignore so
many other rumors related to me is because it insults my excellent
care givers.*****
Now, nearsightedness is caused by a change in the shape of the eyeball,
and if it is extreme enough that has its own considerations over long
enough time. As the vitreous gel in the eye thickens with age it can
tear and sometimes tug on the retina (which is why if anyone here ever
sees what looks like bouts of lightning in your eye you need to get
the retina pretty much immediately checked to be safe; usually if the
symptoms don't include folds in vision or loss of visual field the appt
will be the same day but not immediately, whereas if those additional
symptoms exist you will be seen right away). That can be more
pronounced if a person has been very nearsighted for a long time.
Sometimes it can even result in the vitreous gel completely separating
from the retina. That also causes a need for checking the retina, and
also a complete separation can damage the macula so that needs to be
checked. Obviously, if either has great enough damage then repair is
needed. Complete vitreous separation is unusual in those who do not
have extreme myopia but pretty common with extreme nearsightedness.
Usually it happens pretty slowly so people may not notice it. I had
symptoms: a shadow down the center of my vision when both eyes were
used, and a sudden closing in that went beyond the peripheral vision
loss I've had from glaucoma. Those symptoms went away over several
weeks, and the macular hole I have from it is tiny and stable so not
a concern unless it changes.
Glaucoma is a different problem. It is damage to the optic nerve. Most
forms have increased eye pressure (ocular hypertension), but there is
an exception. Ocular hypertension that does not go over a certain point
and does not involve any loss of peripheral vision can exist without
glaucoma. The optic nerve can be imaged, too, and other tests done.
According to excellent resources like the Glaucoma Foundation
http://www.glaucomafoundation.org/ most cases of ocular hypertension
do not progress into glaucoma. I had ocular hypertension for something
like 15 years before I began having peripheral vision loss. In my case
my highest pressures seem to happen during sleep. We monitored it
closely, of course. As soon as it became obvious that I was following
the normal course for Dad's family (where every sibling had glaucoma)
treatment began. There are four classes of drops for glaucoma. I can't
use one class due to being allergic to it. There is a second one I
can't use because I have asthma. A third class has worked quite well
for me. Over time I have progressed to the strongest drop in that
class. The fourth med grouping didn't work for me at all. Finally,
I also had laser surgery while continuing drops and that will be
repeated as needed as many times as it can be, then there is the option
of a more invasive and trickier operation. People vary in how well
treatments work, but in the vast majority of cases catching glaucoma in
time prevents blindness. The sad thing is that so many are not caught
in time.
Astigmatism is from an irregular curvature of the eye.
Presbyopia is just "aging eyes". Most people deal with that.
There. Hopefully, someone learned something useful beyond that 90% of
rumors on the internet are typically false. (Really, ignore rumors for
your sakes and others'.)
And now with apologies for taking up time and space about my own eyes I
will tell you a bit about albino ferret eyes because albino ferret eyes
are studied to learn about the eyes of humans with albinism. So, here
are references from a great resource with some on BOTH pigmented and
nonpigmented ferret eyes:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18726091
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17655555
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15102921
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12724839
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12639605
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11428047
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8870221
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8025716
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8261124
and there are more there...
Sukie (not a vet)
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
[Posted in FML 6214]
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