Intraocular Pressure: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Affects Your Eyes
When you hear intraocular pressure, the fluid pressure inside your eye that keeps it shaped and functioning. Also known as eye pressure, it’s not something you feel—but if it climbs too high, it can quietly destroy your vision. This pressure comes from the balance between fluid production and drainage in your eye. Too much fluid, or a clogged drain, and pressure builds up. That’s when trouble starts.
High intraocular pressure doesn’t cause pain or blurry vision right away, which is why it’s called the "silent thief of sight." Over time, that pressure squeezes the optic nerve, the bundle of fibers that carries visual signals from your eye to your brain. Once that nerve is damaged, you can’t get the sight back. That’s the core link between intraocular pressure and glaucoma, a group of eye diseases that lead to irreversible vision loss. Not everyone with high eye pressure gets glaucoma, and not everyone with glaucoma has high pressure—but the two are deeply connected. Regular eye exams are the only way to catch it early.
What counts as normal? Most people have pressure between 10 and 21 mm Hg. Above 21 is considered elevated, but even numbers in the high teens can be risky if you have other factors like family history, thin corneas, or diabetes. Your doctor doesn’t just check pressure—they look at your optic nerve, test your peripheral vision, and measure cornea thickness. These pieces together tell the real story. Some medications, like steroids, can raise eye pressure. Others, like certain blood pressure drugs, might lower it. Even simple things like sleeping position or how hard you squeeze your eyes shut can cause short-term spikes.
What you’ll find in the posts below isn’t just a list of drugs or symptoms. It’s a practical collection of real-world insights—how certain heart medications affect eye pressure, how steroids used for skin conditions might impact your eyes, and what you need to know if you’re managing conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure that tie into eye health. These aren’t theoretical discussions. They’re the kind of details you won’t hear in a five-minute doctor’s visit but could save your vision.
The Science Behind Latanoprost: How It Lowers Eye Pressure
Latanoprost lowers eye pressure by improving fluid drainage in the eye, making it a first-line treatment for glaucoma. It works overnight, reduces pressure by up to 33%, and is safe for long-term use with minimal side effects.
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