I have to see a Glaucoma Specialist

I went and had my eyes checked again today. I'm supposed to go every 6 months because the pressure in my eyes has been slowly rising.

In 1999 my eye pressure was 20 and 21 which is the high end of normal. It stayed that way for awhile. Then in January this year it was 26, and today it was 32.

Apparently the inside of my eyes look fine and there is no damage, but he's at a loss as to why the pressure is continuing to increase as it has. So he's sending me to a Glaucoma Specialist to have further studies done.

He asked what medications I take and I told him. He said that none of them should be causing the increased pressure.

However, when I was at the pharmacy picking up my thyroid pill, I remembered that I forgot to mention that I also take Benadryl on a daily basis for my dermatographism/allergies. I know that certain medications of that type can be problematic if you have high blood pressure, so I asked the pharmacist about Benadryl and increased eye pressure.

Apparently it needs to be used with caution with patients who have Glaucoma. So she said it very well might be the cause of the increased eye pressure.

So I'm going to stop taking Benadryl completely and see what happens.

So far as my hives go she suggested another antihistamine that I could try that doesn't have the same negative effect as the Benadryl. Unfortunately I forgot the name!! I think she said "Alliess" or something like that.

My worse fear next to being burned alive in a fire, is losing my vision. I could live without any one of my senses, but I'm very visually creative and losing my vision is so totally unthinkable to me

In March my husband almost lost his sight to Acute Ocular Glaucoma . He is still being monitored. He had holes lasered in his eyes to allow the fluid to drain. After seeing what he went through I would run to the specialist. http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=194066

Linda I'll keep you in my prayers sweetie Lots of vibes heading your way that all goes well with the glaucome specialist and he is able to help you

Originally Posted by mbjerkness

In March my husband almost lost his sight to Acute Ocular Glaucoma . He is still being monitored. He had holes lasered in his eyes to allow the fluid to drain. After seeing what he went through I would run to the specialist. http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=194066

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Unfortunately I have to wait for the eye doctor to call me with an appointment time for the specialist.

My eye doctor doesn't seem to be exceptionally worried at this stage. He did all kinds of tests today and said that my other than the increased pressure, my eyes appear quite healthy.

He did mention that I may require eye drops though. But I'm hoping that part of the problem is the Benadryl. I was diagnosed with Dermatographism in the late 1990's and in my quest to get some relief from the horrendous hives I started to take Benadryl. It could be co-incidence, but that is around the same time as my doctor started to notice an increase in my eye pressure. At least that is the first time he mentioned that it was elevated.

So I'm hoping that stopping the Benadryl will be the solution!! *crosses fingers*

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Unfortunately I have to wait for the eye doctor to call me with an appointment time for the specialist.

My eye doctor doesn't seem to be exceptionally worried at this stage. He did all kinds of tests today and said that my other than the increased pressure, my eyes appear quite healthy.

He did mention that I may require eye drops though. But I'm hoping that part of the problem is the Benadryl. I was diagnosed with Dermatographism in the late 1990's and in my quest to get some relief from the horrendous hives I started to take Benadryl. It could be co-incidence, but that is around the same time as my doctor started to notice an increase in my eye pressure. At least that is the first time he mentioned that it was elevated.

So I'm hoping that stopping the Benadryl will be the solution!! *crosses fingers*

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I hope it is only the benadryl

Ugh! For the last week I've been using Otrivin twice a day to help combat nasal stuffiness thanks to my cold, so that I can use my C-Pap machine when I sleep.

I just looked up the side effects. Seems it too shouldn't be used by Glaucoma patients. Not that I am a glaucoma patient, but I do have the elevated pressure despite having no other symptoms of glaucoma. Guess I'll stop taking that too.

Originally Posted by mbjerkness

I hope it is only the benadryl

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Thanks everyone!

I've had a field vision test and have exceptional peripheral vision. Not like it was when I had my eyes tested for my license back when I was 17 (back then they thought I was cheating because I could see behind me while looking straight ahead ), but it's still better than average. And from what I understand, one of the first things to go when you have Glaucoma is the peripheral vision.

I can't say that I'm panicked about this...yet, but I would be lying if I said that I wasn't more than a little bit concerned. But I'm trying to keep in mind that I have no control over this, so there is no sense getting myself worked up into a frenzy over it until I get more information.

I'm amazed you haven't already been put on eyedrops! I've never heard of leaving glaucoma untreated! Please do stay off the Benadryl, and also minimize salt intake as much as you can until the specialist can see you.

I know 20 is considered high-normal, but it scares me silly anyway. My ophthalmologist isn't happy unless I stay around 13 or 14 -- but he may be extra-cautious because of my diabetes.

Take care, hon -- I hope you get in soon!

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Unfortunately I have to wait for the eye doctor to call me with an appointment time for the specialist.

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Don't you hate that??

I swear things would get done allot faster in our medical system if they just let the patients deal with it sometimes!!

It took until I was 8 months with my last pregnancy to get an OBGYN because I had to keep going back & forth between doctors offices . I got REALLY mad. Thankfully my poor family doctor is fantastic & is totally okay with learning a little obstetrics .

best of luck.

You need to write down your medications for your next visit!

I wouldn't worry either, they haven't really figured out what is going on yet & it sounds like they've caught it quite early!

Major to you right now!! I really hope things go well at the glaucoma specialist. Big Let us know when you get updates!

I got a letter from my eye doctor with my specialist appointment date.

I go on February 3, 2010!

In the meantime I haven't had any Benadryl! It's been hard though. I'm sitting here right now itching like crazy and using a dry bath brush to scratch my back!

If you're unable to take any anti-histamines right now it may be worth the trouble for you to look up foods that increase histamine in the body. By managing your diet you may be able to lower some of the circulating levels and prevent some issues before it builds up. High benzoates in some foods can be a problem, too, so you may have to do a little research. Look up "histamine avoidance diet".

You know, Natalie and Nes, that long waits for appointments in the Canadian system are a major point of discussion in our U.S. health debates.

If my optometrist thought I might have glaucoma, he would have me at a specialist next week. February! That's way too long.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

You know, Natalie and Nes, that long waits for appointments in the Canadian system are a major point of discussion in our U.S. health debates.

If my optometrist thought I might have glaucoma, he would have me at a specialist next week. February! That's way too long.

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I live in Canada. my husband was in to see a specialist with 8 hours. There are emergency appointments available, but your Doctor determines if it is an emergency or something that can wait.

If he knew whether it was an emergency, I wouldn't need the specialist, would I?

Originally Posted by mrblanche

You know, Natalie and Nes, that long waits for appointments in the Canadian system are a major point of discussion in our U.S. health debates.

If my optometrist thought I might have glaucoma, he would have me at a specialist next week. February! That's way too long.

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I had a field vision test earlier this year. That plus the fact that he isn't seeing any kind of damage to my eyes whatsoever is likely what makes me not a top priority. If there was indication that there was damage going on, I would be in earlier.

As I said earlier, I'm not really concerned at this point. I'm not having any problems with my eyes or vision, well other than the fact that I really hate having to wear progressive lenses! But that's a whole different subject