Ideally, doctors look at patients in a holistic manner, rather than just a collection of symptoms. At Natural Eye Care, when we talk to glaucoma patients, we are concerned about more than their intraocular pressure measurements. We want to talk about diet, lifestyle habits, and stress levels. We want to get an idea of the whole person, and understand their overall health. Learn more about these complementary approaches to glaucoma management.
An article appearing at the site EyeWorld by Tony Realini, M.D. describes how many eye doctors take an “event-based approach” to managing glaucoma patients’ care. Though he posits that there is still validity in this approach, he points out that it does not help determine the rate of progression of an individual’s condition.
According to one source quoted in Realini’s commentary, Claude F. Burgoyne, M.D., senior scientist and research director, Optic Nerve Head Research Laboratory, Devers Eye Institute, Portland, Oregon says, “Determination of the rate of progression can help us to identify those patients at the highest risk of vision loss,” he said. “A patient’s current rate of progression may inform us about future progression rates. If we then factor in life expectancy, we can begin to assess the risk of vision loss within a given patient’s lifetime.”
Dr. Realini recommends that a combination of “data acquired from visual field tests, from optic nerve imaging devices, or a combination of both.”
Source: EyeWorld.org, “Evaluating rate of change in glaucoma”