hello all. I have just joined this group and this is my first post.

I have a question about narrow angles. I was told last year that I have them, I found out after having an exam and telling the dr that I was having pain. I was on a steroid nasal spray at the time and also found out that I am steroid sensitive. I am 25 and quite terrified of glaucoma.

My question is this: If it is known that I am at high risk for angle closure glaucoma attacks, why not just do the laser iridotomy surgery to prevent it from ever happening? The opthamologist that I saw for this just said come back in five years. My pressure had stabilized and she said it was ok. That was last summer.

I avoid a lot of thing because of this fear of an attack. It is awful. I also have terribly dry eyes and allergies, unfortunately I can't take anything for the allergies because it could bring on a closure attack. What am I supposed to do here? I feel like I just can't win. I hope someone can answer these questions for me, I really am quite stressed about this...oh wait, that can bring on an attack too! Please help!!

I'm guessing that nobody knows about this? I really hope someone can come up with something, I know that this type of problem is much more rare than regular glaucoma but I still hope someone will know something about the surgeries etc...

Any takers?

Originally posted by jackey:

My question is this: If it is known that I am at high risk for angle closure glaucoma attacks, why not just do the laser iridotomy surgery to prevent it from ever happening? The opthamologist that I saw for this just said come back in five years. My pressure had stabilized and she said it was ok. That was last summer.

I avoid a lot of thing because of this fear of an attack. It is awful. I also have terribly dry eyes and allergies, unfortunately I can't take anything for the allergies because it could bring on a closure attack. What am I supposed to do here?

Just how narrow are your angles? Did the doctor tell you? Does it run in your family? Does anyone in your family have any form of glaucoma? Do you have plauteau iris syndrome?

If you do have 'narrow' angles a PI is usually only done after an attack. If the angles are very narrow and you are at very high risk for developing an attack, then a PI can be done as prophylaxis, but it doesn't guarantee an attack will never happen.

The ophthalmologist telling you to come back in 5 YEARS is unheard of!! That's too long in between evaluations. I would definately seek a second opinion.

There are ways to treat your severe allergies without inducing an angle closure attack. You should see an allergist and explain your narrow angles & steroid responsiveness thoroughly to the doctor.

Jackey,

If you go to Yahoo and type in "narrow angles glaucoma" there is a ton of information for you.

[This message has been edited by DonnaDe (edited 05-27-2003).]

Thanks for the responses, I have been feeling quite unsure about this problem. I have read extensively about this and feel like I have a good grip on it, my issue is that I have a real problem with the idea that I have to have an attack before anything will be done about it. I don't get that.
From the information that I have gotten I was under the impression that iridotomy would eliminate the risk and enable me to use the medications that I currently cannot use. If I am wrong about this please let me know. I also have the feeling that if I were to have an attack i would be blinded by it, I can't seem to find out about the degree of damage that an attack inflicts.
I do not want to be blinded by this if it is possible to treat the problem. I am quite terrified of going blind suddenly which is what seems like would happen if I had an angle closure attack. Maybe I don't know as much about this as I need to.
Does an attack absolutely result in blindness?

Originally posted by jackey:
From the information that I have gotten I was under the impression that iridotomy would eliminate the risk and enable me to use the medications that I currently cannot use. If I am wrong about this please let me know. I also have the feeling that if I were to have an attack i would be blinded by it, I can't seem to find out about the degree of damage that an attack inflicts.

Does an attack absolutely result in blindness?

The amount of damage an acute angle closure attack does depends on the severity and duration of the attack. When an attack occurs, the eye pressure can spike to 35mmHg-60mmHg. This can damage the optic nerve in only a few hours. However, when the eye pressure is that high, there are accompanying symptoms like eye pain, headache, nausea, vomiting, and blurry vision.

Again, you need to seek a second opinion on whether or not a PI is appropriate for you at this time. That depends on how at risk you are for developing an attack. Factors such as race, age, glasses presription, visual field analysis, angle depth, eye pressure, and optic nerve health will be evaluated by your doctor.

You need not worry about suddenly going blind. Yes, a person can go blind from an angle attack, but it would usually take a few days of a very high pressure to do so with no treatment at all.

HTH