Interested in how the eye thing turns out (asking for a friend)...
Well in that case, seeing in that you’re interested, I will give you a more accurate and less flip description of what they’re doing and what I know about it. ( I know just about enough to be dangerous )
Initial internal eye pressure tests have indicated an elevated pressure in my left eye, the one with the blind spot.
I was given a sample bottle of eye drops to see if it would reduce the pressure and went back yesterday to be re tested. The drops worked and brought my pressure back to the normal range.
There does not seem to be a single definitive test to determine if you have Glaucoma, it’s not eye pressure alone.
People naturally have different pressures and respond differently. Not all people with high pressure will have Glaucoma and conversely people with lower pressure sometimes DO get Glaucoma. It’s rather random.
A high resolution retina scan showed a rather normal, undamaged looking optic nerve, from what he could see.
He said it still could very well be Glaucoma but he wants to rule out other possibilities with the MRI.
My biggest fear was a tumor in the pituitary gland, it’s in a small space in your skull pretty much straight back from the bridge of your nose. The optic nerve shares that small space and a tumor would start to push on the nerve and cause vision loss. The surgery to remove a tumor there is pretty invasive and unpleasant.
When I brought up the possibility of a pituitary tumor, he said he doubted that because he said that would usually present itself as a loss of vision in BOTH eyes.
So....what’s the MRI all about? The optic nerve pathway from the back of your eyeballs to its final destination in your brain is a rather long one. From what I’ve been able to find out online there are numerous opportunities for something to impede the function of the nerve, most involving some sort of obstruction of blood flow to the nerve.
My doctor gave me the option of getting the MRI or watchful waiting. He said he didn’t really suspect a tumor, but let’s have the peace of mind of ruling it out. The other thing that puzzled my doctor was the fact that my vision loss had a rather sudden onset. Glaucoma is a very slow moving condition, he said it doesn’t typically show up suddenly.
So that’s where I’m at right now. Taking daily eye drops and waiting for the MRI. I should know more in a week or so. I’ll keep you posted.