But there is a way to protect your vision. Dr. Dave Patel, a Mayo Clinic ophthalmologist, explains one of the most important things you can do to prevent glaucoma from stealing your sight.

Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (0:59) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

Glaucoma can mean a loss of peripheral vision which can lead to tunnel vision, even blindness.

Sometimes there are no symptoms till it's too late.

"Unfortunately, it's termed the silent thief of sight. And that’s primarily because most patients when they present aren’t aware that they’re even having it or in the advanced stages of it," says Dr. Patel.

Glaucoma often is caused by a buildup of fluid in your eye that can lead to damage of the optic nerve. Risk factors include use of certain medications, steroids and a family history of glaucoma. 

The good news is treatments, including medications, laser procedures and surgery, have proven successful.

"There’s limitations on what we can treat and what we can't, but numerous studies show if we lower the pressure, then we can salvage or protect the remaining vision," Dr. Patel says.

Early detection leads to better treatments and better outcomes, which is why regular eye exams can be your best defense against glaucoma.

Related content:

• Mayo Clinic Minute: How staring at screens can affect your vision
• Do glasses that block blue light help your eyes?
• Mayo Clinic Minute: Blurry vision as you age
• Mayo Clinic Q and A: Relief for dry eyes

For the safety of its patients, staff and visitors, Mayo Clinic has strict masking policies in place. Anyone shown without a mask was recorded prior to COVID-19 or recorded in an area not designated for patient care, where other safety protocols were followed.

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After several misdiagnoses, Sandy Blue was on the verge of losing her eyesight. But, thanks to a team of experts at Mayo Clinic and the recommendation that she try a new cancer drug, the Georgia native is seeing clearing once again.

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Sandy Blue was getting ready for work one morning in 2008 when she noticed red streaks in her eyes. "I thought I was just tired," says Sandy, who was 44 at the time. But the redness worsened and she soon began experiencing sharp pain in her eyes.

Sandy visited a local eye specialist in Savannah, Georgia. Despite a myriad of drops and steroids, nothing helped as the pain and redness increased over the next six months. Ultimately, Sandy sought opinions from eight ophthalmologists, all to no avail. The sclera – or white part of her eye – was "cranberry sauce red," Sandy recalls.

Learn more about Sandy’s journey in this video.

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (3:03) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please "Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network."

Desperate for answers, Sandy made an appointment at Mayo Clinic, two hours away in Jacksonville, Florida. Soon she learned her eye issues were a result of rheumatoid arthritis.

"We have seen patients with long-term rheumatoid arthritis eventually develop an eye problem called scleritis, or inflammation of the sclera, but it is very rare to develop the eye problems before any other symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis show up," says Dr. Andy Abril, a Mayo Clinic rheumatologist. "In this case, Sandy had elevated rheumatoid arthritis markers in her blood, even though she had absolutely no joint problems. Her presentation was atypical."

After trying several medications usually prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis, Sandy’'s eyesight was not improving. Doctors needed to stop the inflammation or Sandy would go blind.

After Dr. Abril reconfirmed there was no other cause for the eye redness or pain, he recommended that Sandy try a cancer drug called rituximab. Also known as Rituxan, the drug was proving effective in treating certain cases of rheumatoid arthritis because it targets blood cells that cause the immune system to attack connective tissue in the body. 

Almost immediately Sandy’s symptoms began improving. Her eyesight was restored and the damage to her sclera was reversed.

"It's been an amazing journey. I am so grateful to the team at Mayo Clinic," says Sandy, who still receives annual infusions and now works in health care as a way to give back to others. She is also active on various support groups and shares her story whenever she can.

The post Seeing clearly after multiple misdiagnoses appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ANSWER: Glaucoma, which is a group of serious eye disorders that damage the optic nerve, is the leading cause of preventable blindness in the developed world. Because it rarely causes symptoms in its early stages, regular eye exams that include checking for glaucoma are important. A variety of factors can raise your risk for glaucoma, including age and having a family history of the disease.

Your optic nerve is a bundle of nerve fibers that goes from the back of your eyeball to your brain. It serves as the communication cable between the two, allowing you to see. In most cases of glaucoma, the optic nerve is damaged by a rise in pressure within the eye. The elevated pressure usually is due to a blockage of the eye’s drainage channels, preventing fluid that is constantly produced in the eye to flow out of it. As the nerve deteriorates, blind spots develop in your vision. If left untreated, glaucoma leads to blindness.

In its early stages, glaucoma usually doesn’t have any symptoms. Typically, it is not until the late stages of the disease — after significant damage already has been done — that people who have glaucoma begin to notice eye problems, such as loss of peripheral vision. That’s why it’s crucial to get regular eye exams that include looking at the appearance of the optic nerve through a microscope, as well as a measure of the pressure within your eye. If your doctor suspects glaucoma, he or she may recommend other tests, too.

In general, a comprehensive eye exam is recommended once every two to four years for people 40 to 54 and every one to three years for those 55 to 64 ─ even if you have no problems with your eyes or vision. After 65, you should have a comprehensive eye exam every one to two years. Depending on your risk factors, these exams may need to be more or less frequent.

Two of the most significant risk factors for glaucoma are age and family history. People older than 60 develop glaucoma much more frequently than younger individuals. And the disease tends to run in families. If you have a close relative who’s been diagnosed with glaucoma, make sure your eye doctor is aware of that.

Other risk factors for glaucoma may include having high or low blood pressure, as well as other medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and hypothyroidism. However, in most people, glaucoma is not associated with other diseases. A severe eye injury can put you at risk for glaucoma, as can certain types of eye surgery and being nearsighted or farsighted.

Ethnic background also appears to impact a person’s risk of developing glaucoma. African-Americans who are older than 40 have a much higher risk for developing glaucoma than Caucasians. African-Americans also are more likely to suffer permanent blindness as a result of glaucoma. People of Asian descent also have an increased risk of developing certain types of glaucoma.

Most glaucomas cannot be prevented, but regular eye exams can catch this condition early. Although there’s no way to reverse damage that’s been done to the optic nerve, treatment to lower pressure in the eye can prevent or slow vision loss due to glaucoma. Review any possible risk factors you may have for glaucoma with your eye doctor. Based on that, he or she can recommend an exam schedule that’s right for you. — Dr. Arthur Sit, Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

The post Mayo Clinic Q and A: Glaucoma — are you at risk? appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

In the past, in even the best of doctor-patient relationships, it was usually the doctor who made the final decision about treatment. Now that's changing. On this week's program, we explore "participatory medicine" with patient-engagement advocate Dave deBronkhart, Jr., better known to his blog followers as e-Patient Dave. Also on the program, Mayo Clinic ophthalmologist Dr. Raymond Iezzi, Jr., talks about the bionic eye, an implant that brings sight to people with serious vision impairment.

Myth or Matter-of-Fact: Patient engagement means more time spent in your doctor's office, leading to higher health care costs.

Mayo Clinic Radio is available on iHeart Radio.

Click here to listen to the program on Saturday, April 11, at 9:05 a.m., and follow #MayoClinicRadio.

To find and listen to archived shows, click here.

Mayo Clinic Radio is a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic. The show is taped for rebroadcast by some affiliates.

The post MAYO CLINIC RADIO appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Miss the program?  Here's the podast. MayoClinicRadio PODCAST April 11, 2015

Myth or Matter-of-Fact: Patient engagement means more time spent in your doctor's office, leading to higher health care costs.

To listen to the program at 9:05 a.m. Saturday, April 11, click here.

Follow #MayoClinicRadio and tweet your questions.

Mayo Clinic Radio is available on iHeartRadio.

Mayo Clinic Radio is a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

To find and listen to archived shows, click here.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: e-Patient Dave/Bionic Eye appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Jan. 21 — A comparative long-range study by Mayo Clinic ophthalmology researchers shows that the probability of blindness from glaucoma 20 years after diagnosis has dropped by half in the last generation. The findings appear online in the “in press” section of the journal Ophthalmology.

Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Sit are available in the downloads.

The researchers examined the medical records of all residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, age 40 or above, diagnosed with glaucoma between 1981 and 2000. They compared this with similar data from a previous study of patients diagnosed between 1965 and 1980, using the same resource, the repositories of the Rochester Epidemiology Project. The findings: While the incidence of glaucoma in the population has not changed, the probability of going blind in at least one eye due to glaucoma dropped by half, from 25.8 percent in the earlier study, to 13.5 percent in the later period. As well, the annual incidence of glaucoma-caused blindness in the population has dropped by more than half.

“This is a testament to the skill and effort of the researchers, physicians and other care providers working in eye care over that period,” says Arthur Sit, M.D., Mayo Clinic ophthalmologist and senior author of the study. “Our improved understanding of glaucoma, along with better treatment and management of patients seem to have had this impact. Still, much research and public education remains to be performed. A 14 percent blindness rate from a common eye disease is hardly ideal.”

Dr. Sit discounted early diagnosis as a factor in the dramatic shift, noting that the age of first diagnosis for glaucoma patients has not changed. The study also has its limitations. While it reflects virtually every case of glaucoma in the study county, the population over the period was roughly 90 percent white and does not necessarily reflect more diverse communities.

There is no early warning sign of glaucoma, other than loss of peripheral vision, which most people fail to notice. Dr. Sit urges regular eye appointments as the best way to diagnose the condition.

The study was supported by Mayo Clinic, grants from Research to Prevent Blindness, and the National Institutes of Health, which funds the Rochester Epidemiology Project.

Co-authors on the study include Mehrdad Malihi, M.D., Edney Moura Filho, M.D, and David Hodge, all of Mayo Clinic.

About Mayo Clinic
Recognizing 150 years of serving humanity in 2014, Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit worldwide leader in medical care, research and education for people from all walks of life. For more information, visit 150years.mayoclinic.org, www.mayoclinic.org and newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org.

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MEDIA CONTACT:  Bob Nellis, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

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