Living with Glaucoma

See transcript below pic.  Genevieve Scaro is a retired Defense Contractor, mother, grandmother and great grandmother.  She lives in the western suburbs of Chicago and is fairly healthy for her 85 years but one problem she deals with is glaucoma. She is an artist who likes to draw and paint in water color.  She is an avid traveler, and volunteers regularly for church, hospitals and local food banks 

Transcript

Jean: [00:00:16] Hello and welcome to podcast DX. This show that brings you interviews with people just like you whose lives were forever changed by a diagnosis. [00:00:24][8.7]

Lita: [00:00:26] I'm Lita. [00:00:26][0.2]

Ron: [00:00:27] I'm Ron. [00:00:27][0.4]

Jean: [00:00:28] And I'm Jean Marie. [00:00:28][0.5]

Lita: [00:00:29] Collectively we are the hosts of podcast dx. This podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice diagnosis or treatment. Always ask the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider for any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment. And before undertaking any new health care regimen never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast. [00:01:03][33.5]

Ron: [00:01:05] And on today's show we'll be taking a new look at glaucoma today we're going to be interviewing Gene who has glaucoma. For our listeners, Glaucoma is actually a group of diseases of the eye the most common form is called primary open angle glaucoma. This affects about 3 million Americans and it happened when the eye's drainage canals become clogged over time. Similar to that of your drain pipe under your sink. When the correct amount of fluid doesn't drain, it build up pressure on the inner eye. Unfortunately because there are no obvious symptoms or warning signs it usually goes undiagnosed and untreated for years if caught early though it responds while to medication. [00:01:49][43.9]

Jean: [00:01:50] Thanks for that background information Ron. We will be discussing other types of glaucoma at the end of this, today show. Today's guest is also my grandmother Gene. She is a spunky 85 year old senior with twenty seven grandchildren and great grandchildren and she currently resides in the Chicago suburbs and she is single gentlemen. [00:02:11][21.2]

Lita: [00:02:12] O K. hello Gene. Otherwise known as my mom. Thank you for joining us today. [00:02:17][5.0]

Gene: [00:02:18] Well I'm a healthy 85 year old. I have no medical problems except for my eyes. [00:02:25][6.4]

Ron: [00:02:27] Gene, I understand it's been almost 10 years since you were diagnosed with glaucoma? [00:02:30][2.8]

Gene: [00:02:31] Doesn't seem that long. It wasn't like I was in any pain. It wasn't like I had headaches. It was more I think I should get a new pair of glasses and that's how it started. [00:02:46][14.9]

Jean: [00:02:48] Ok. Well you do look great Gram and you have great sparkling blue eyes. [00:02:52][4.1]

Lita: [00:02:53] While, while researching glaucoma, we found that at first there may not be any symptoms,. [00:02:59][5.8]

Jean: [00:03:00] As gram said,. [00:03:00][0.0]

Lita: [00:03:00] Right. But as the disease progresses a person with glaucoma may notice his or her vision gradually failing. Gene did you have any symptoms that first led you to the doctor? [00:03:11][10.9]

Gene: [00:03:13] No I was just noticing my glasses weren't cutting it so I went to American best which is an eyeglass company for an eye test and then they told me to go to Wheaton Eye Clinic to see a specialist because something wasn't right. I was really scared. [00:03:29][16.7]

Jean: [00:03:31] And how long did it and how long before they found out that you had glaucoma. [00:03:34][2.8]

Gene: [00:03:35] It was pretty quick. It was within a week I was told that I had lost 50 percent of my peripheral sight. My pressure was in around 30s. [00:03:45][10.1]

Lita: [00:03:47] Wow. Did you Did you know what to expect when the doctors informed you that you had the glaucoma. [00:03:52][5.1]

Gene: [00:03:53] No not at all. I didn't know what it was or anything about it really. But the doctor was very helpful in explaining what was going on. I had to be so careful of making sure that I took the right drops for my eyes. I did have a operation. [00:04:12][19.0]

Ron: [00:04:13] Gene, I understand that you wound up needing surgery can explain can tell us a little bit about surgery. [00:04:24][10.9]

Gene: [00:04:25] My doctor who is a wonderful man very knowledgeable about glaucoma. Doctor Theodore Krupin, was world renown. I was lucky to have him at the time. He was a pioneer in the field. I was so sad to hear of his passing away a few years ago. I had the incisional operation, where they created a drainage hole with a surgical tool. I couldn't do any heavy lifting or bending for about a week afterwards. I remember my eye was red and irritated with a lot of tearing for about a week. [00:04:58][32.4]

Ron: [00:04:59] Wow. Can you tell us what was the worst part about this process. [00:05:03][3.3]

Gene: [00:05:04] I always felt like I have something in my eye it's something foreign, a foreign matter. My vision was very blurred for a little more than a month. [00:05:13][8.9]

Jean: [00:05:14] Did anything help with the blurry vision or the discomfort. [00:05:17][2.6]

Gene: [00:05:18] Well resting my eyes often during the day I would just stop what I was doing close my eyes held a cool clean wash clod I have a lot of trouble with light. Sunlight, dark. It blinds me, where I have a hard time walking because I'm afraid I'm going to fall. [00:05:39][21.2]

Jean: [00:05:40] Oh that sounds really scary I'm sorry gram. Do you take any medications now? [00:05:44][4.0]

Gene: [00:05:45] Well every day I take two drops with the red cap and I don't know the names but I take one drop with a blue cap. Again I don't know what the name of it is. [00:05:56][11.2]

Jean: [00:05:56] Well as long as you're able to keep those straight right. [00:05:58][1.9]

Ron: [00:05:59] No kidding gene if anything changed since you had your procedure. [00:06:02][3.0]

Gene: [00:06:03] Well I don't drive anymore. I sold my car. I have trouble with light. Like I said and also in dark I have an eye check very regular every three months i umm, My pressure is right now. Fives in each eye. [00:06:23][20.3]

Jean: [00:06:24] Wow. [00:06:24][0.0]

Gene: [00:06:25] Which is really great. He's very he's very happy with the present. With my results. [00:06:30][4.7]

Lita: [00:06:31] What was the pressure when you first started. Do you remember? [00:06:33][2.0]

Gene: [00:06:33] 30. [00:06:33][0.0]

Lita: [00:06:34] 30 at 33. Oh wow. [00:06:35][1.2]

Gene: [00:06:36] Yeah. [00:06:36][0.0]

Ron: [00:06:38] And you're taking eyedrops daily right. What are some of the side effects of those. [00:06:41][3.3]

Gene: [00:06:42] Well I never knew this but the doctor had given me a different type of medicine he was working with me on and a week later I had a hard time breathing it was almost like I had asthma attack. So I called my regular doctor and went in to see him and he actually had me go through a lot of testing for my heart and in the meantime I had an appointment with my eye doctor. So I had gone to see him and I told him what had happened and I told him that I had seen my heart doctor two days ago he right away. Changed my medicine. He said that I was allergic to that eye medicine and that was the results of taking it which I was very surprised. So I stopped taking it. He gave me another medicine and I was fine after that. So that was one effect. Otherwise my eyes would be red burning. After a while and then I'd have to switch again to another eye medicine. [00:07:59][77.0]

Lita: [00:08:00] I would imagine that you know you do have to change every so often because you're your body kind of gets used to a certain thing. [00:08:05][5.6]

Gene: [00:08:07] Right. That's right. I never used to worry about my vision but if I had to. If I had gone sooner I would have caught it sooner and my vision wouldn't have been so bad. [00:08:19][11.6]

Lita: [00:08:19] Right. I heard that the eye drops can also lower your blood pressure and your pulse. [00:08:25][5.1]

Gene: [00:08:26] Well that is possible because of what had taken place earlier you know with the hard to breathe. [00:08:33][7.0]

Lita: [00:08:34] Right. Right. [00:08:34][0.3]

Gene: [00:08:35] So while. [00:08:35][0.5]

Ron: [00:08:35] It. I'm sorry. I mean to interrupt. Go ahead. [00:08:37][1.9]

Gene: [00:08:38] No. It's really important to make sure that you take your eye drafts and keep the pressure down very important otherwise blindness could could rob you of your of your eyesight. [00:08:51][13.1]

Ron: [00:08:53] well talking about that and the Lowering of the pulse and a blood pressure. That's some pretty serious stuff. I'm glad they were able to figure that out for you. That's a very helpful information for us. Thank you for sharing. [00:09:04][11.0]

Lita: [00:09:05] Yeah. Gene is there anything that you would like our audience to know about the importance of a yearly eye exam? [00:09:13][7.4]

Gene: [00:09:14] Well not only of a yearly exam, but also to tell your family your children to go get exam examined for glaucoma. Anytime they go in for glasses make sure you get the glaucoma test. [00:09:28][14.1]

Lita: [00:09:29] What is the glaucoma test. [00:09:30][1.0]

Gene: [00:09:30] Well it's a pressure test. [00:09:32][1.4]

Lita: [00:09:33] Is it that puff that they puff? [00:09:34][1.3]

Gene: [00:09:35] That's that's what that is. Aha. And tell us what your pressure is at. [00:09:38][3.4]

Lita: [00:09:39] OK. [00:09:39][0.0]

Jean: [00:09:39] They're not just messing with you there. [00:09:40][1.0]

Lita: [00:09:40] Right. Right right. So is the. Because you have glaucoma. [00:09:44][4.0]

Gene: [00:09:45] Yes. [00:09:45][0.0]

Lita: [00:09:46] You think that maybe the kids can also get glaucoma. It's passed down. Right. [00:09:50][4.1]

Gene: [00:09:51] True. Because one of my sons was diagnosed with glaucoma. [00:09:55][4.3]

Lita: [00:09:56] OK. [00:09:56][0.0]

Gene: [00:09:58] So like I say if it was a good thing I went when I did. Even if I didn't have any kind of symptoms. [00:10:04][6.1]

Lita: [00:10:05] Right. Right. Well earlier I promised a little more information on the other types of glaucoma besides a page on our website dedicated to the subject. Here are some basics angle closure glaucoma is also known as acute or narrow angle glaucoma. It's rare but because the pressure rises rapidly it's good information to know. Symptoms would include headaches eye pain nausea rainbows around lights at night. So in other words if you're looking at a light at night and you see a rainbow or. A halo around that light also very blurred vision that could also imply that you might have this acute pressure narrow angle Glaucoma (audio dropped) took the drainage problem with follow ups. Still important. Ron can you tell us and fill us in on the low tension or normal pressure glaucoma. [00:11:11][66.0]

Ron: [00:11:13] Sure thing Lita. According to the glaucoma Research Foundation doctors really don't know why some people's optic nerves are damaged even though they have almost normal pressure levels. People who have a family history of normal tension glaucoma people of Japanese ancestry and people with a history of systemic heart disease such as irregular heart rhythm. There are other less common types to find more. Please go to the glaucoma Foundation Web site and you'll find a link to their site on our resource page. [00:11:44][31.7]

Jean: [00:11:45] That's great. Thanks for that information Ron and Gram. I want to thank you for being our guest here today on podcast D X and on behalf of the podcast D X staff and our listeners. We really appreciated all that information and hope that you will have clear vision for some time to come. Well for a long time. [00:12:05][19.9]

Lita: [00:12:06] Definitely definitely stay healthy mom. [00:12:08][2.0]

Gene: [00:12:08] Thank you. Thank you. [00:12:09][0.9]

Lita: [00:12:10] If you have any questions or comments related to today's show you can contact us at podcast D X at Yahoo dot com through our Web site where you can link to our Facebook page and also see more information as we build our site. Please go to podcast D X dot com. [00:12:29][19.3]

Ron: [00:12:30] And for our listeners you have a moment please give us a five star review on item podcast. [00:12:30][0.0]

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