Thursday, May 7, 2009

Glaucoma and Alzheimer's Disease

Open-angle glaucoma patients are at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease over time, a review of 12 years of Medicare claims found.
Researchers presented their findings at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting recently. To come to their conclusion, the investigators followed a group of glaucoma patients and compared them to a similar group of patients without glaucoma. The glaucoma patients were much more likely to eventually develop Alzheimer's disease.
http://www.osnsupersite.com/view.aspx?rid=39524

2 comments:

Shady Grove Eye Vision Care said...

Glaucoma is treated with systemic diuretic medications, a surgical procedure called iridotomy or iridectomy, surgical formation of a drainage shunt or all of the above. The condition is very rare and causes a rapid loss of vision if not treated immediately.

Dean Dornic, MD said...

You are, of course, referring to acute glaucoma. The most common form of glaucoma is open angle glaucoma which is not rare and usually treated with eye drops.