In case of a green star, use eye drops correctly

In case of a green star, use eye drops correctly

09/11/2014

In Germany almost one million people live with glaucoma. Drugs used against eye disease can cause side effects. To reduce this, affected patients can use a simple trick.

After dropping, press on inner corner of eye for 60 seconds

With a simple trick, potential side effects of GI (glaucoma) medicines can be reduced after use. The German Ophthalmological Society (DOG) points this out, according to a message from the dpa news agency. Accordingly, the patient should close his eyelid after the drop and lightly press with his fingers for 60 seconds on the inner corner of the eye next to the nose. This makes it possible to avoid that the drugs get into the bloodstream and unnecessarily burden the liver, explained DOG President Prof. Johann Roider.

Increased intraocular pressure should be lowered

In glaucoma, eye drops are used to lower the increased intraocular pressure on which the disease is usually based. If left untreated, too much pressure destroys the optic nerve irreversibly over time. According to Roider, the pressure is expected to decrease by 25 to 40 percent compared to baseline. However, it is difficult to determine if the treatment will work as desired because the intraocular pressure naturally varies from day to day.

First apply drops in one eye only

Therefore, the experts of the DOG advise to first apply the drops in only one eye and to measure the pressure again after four weeks. The doctor should determine the pressure of both eyes best at different times before treatment with the drops. In this way it can be determined whether the pressure on both eyes is always the same or always the same. If the patient then takes drops for only one eye for four weeks, the doctor can compare immediately between the two eyes whether the remedy has the desired effect. If so, the drops are applied to both eyes.

Almost a million Germans live with a cataract

According to the Professional Association of Ophthalmologists (BVA), nearly one million people in Germany are affected by glaucoma. At around 1.3 million, an early stage can be seen. The main risk factors for glaucoma include increased intraocular pressure, abnormal blood pressure (especially high and low blood pressure), which may also be the result of medication-induced hypertension, genetic predisposition or diabetes mellitus. Strong short or long-sightedness, a high age and circulatory disorders of the optic nerve increase the risk of glaucoma. (Ad)