Aged Eyes and Glaucoma

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  • My grandfather has glaucoma and uses several eye drops because of it, and he just turned 80 so his eyes are already not brand new. The combination of the two makes it a lot harder for him to pick up red dots now, and iron sights are already a challenge.

    Looking for suggestions for alternative optics and reticle types that could be better suited to his situation.

    Thanks!

    Just as a guide of sorts, I have this optic and he's able to see the reticle without an issue, but the sight is not meant for pistols really.

    https://vortexoptics.com/red-dots/spitfire-ar-prism-scope/vortex-spitfire-ar-1x-prism-scope.html
     
    Holosun 507c with the circle dot reticle, or a bigger MOA red dot. When you say he's having trouble, is it finding the dot or blurry dot?

    It's a combination of both from what I can tell. It takes him a couple seconds to find the dot sometimes, but it's also not clear. Part of the problem is his eyes water a lot from the eye drops he uses for the glaucoma, hence the blur.
     

    DanGuy48

    Ultimate Member
    Hi...giving this a bump because my wife just came back from her eye doctor appointment. He told her there have been significant changes in her optic nerve over the last 3 years and that she has glaucoma. The pressure in her eyes is completely normal but he’s started her on drops to try to lower it further. In doing some reading, it seems that if you’re showing signs of glaucoma, lowering the pressure in your eyes is recommended regardless of what it is to start.

    Anyway, she’s 71 and has always desperately needed glasses. Despite this though she reads (like crazy!...3 books/week on average) and our favorite past time is watching movies/TV series together in the evening. I can’t imagine what it would be like for her to lose her sight. Does anyone have any experience with how quickly it progresses and whether it progresses steadily or in sudden changes?
     
    Hi...giving this a bump because my wife just came back from her eye doctor appointment. He told her there have been significant changes in her optic nerve over the last 3 years and that she has glaucoma. The pressure in her eyes is completely normal but he’s started her on drops to try to lower it further. In doing some reading, it seems that if you’re showing signs of glaucoma, lowering the pressure in your eyes is recommended regardless of what it is to start.

    Anyway, she’s 71 and has always desperately needed glasses. Despite this though she reads (like crazy!...3 books/week on average) and our favorite past time is watching movies/TV series together in the evening. I can’t imagine what it would be like for her to lose her sight. Does anyone have any experience with how quickly it progresses and whether it progresses steadily or in sudden changes?

    My grandfather's pressure has remained stable for a few years now. His general vision has not been reduced. His distance vision hasn't changed. He's had glaucoma(officially) for at least 5 years now. So other than the constant watering, there hasn't been any real negative progression.
     

    Luigi2020

    Member
    Oct 21, 2013
    67
    Nottingham, MD
    Hi...giving this a bump because my wife just came back from her eye doctor appointment. He told her there have been significant changes in her optic nerve over the last 3 years and that she has glaucoma. The pressure in her eyes is completely normal but he’s started her on drops to try to lower it further. In doing some reading, it seems that if you’re showing signs of glaucoma, lowering the pressure in your eyes is recommended regardless of what it is to start.

    Anyway, she’s 71 and has always desperately needed glasses. Despite this though she reads (like crazy!...3 books/week on average) and our favorite past time is watching movies/TV series together in the evening. I can’t imagine what it would be like for her to lose her sight. Does anyone have any experience with how quickly it progresses and whether it progresses steadily or in sudden changes?

    The secret to limiting the progression of vision loss with glaucoma is to control the pressures. Make sure she keeps all of her appointments to check the pressures, perform visual fields, etc.

    The optimal pressure depends on the condition of the optic nerve. A pressure that is good for a healthy nerve could be dangerous to a damaged nerve.

    There are many different types of glaucoma and each one can progress at different rates. For example, the average eye pressure is 16 +/- 5 mmHg. So a healthy nerve could remain healthy with a pressure of 21 (or higher), but if your optic nerve is already damaged by glaucoma, a pressure of 21 could be devastating . A condition called Narrow Angle Glaucoma can cause a sudden spike in pressure and a damaged nerve can be snuffed out instantly causing blindness in that eye.

    The key to controlling glaucoma is keeping your appointments and making sure if there are changes they are addressed immediately.
     

    Mike OTDP

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 12, 2008
    3,318
    I've had ocular hypertension (pre-glaucoma) for a decade. We picked it up before there was deterioration, I'm on a witch's brew of eyedrops...two in the morning, three at night. But they work great. The one thing you have to be religious about is taking them. Do that, and you're good to go.
     

    BeoBill

    Crank in the Third Row
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 3, 2013
    27,060
    南馬里蘭州鮑伊
    I've had ocular hypertension (pre-glaucoma) for a decade. We picked it up before there was deterioration, I'm on a witch's brew of eyedrops...two in the morning, three at night. But they work great. The one thing you have to be religious about is taking them. Do that, and you're good to go.

    I just got the same diagnosis from my VA optometrist, and now am on drops to control the pressure. There's glaucoma in my family history. My advice: Be aggressive in treatment now and you'll avoid problems later.
     

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