Glaucoma: pressure



It's all about pressure.
I've learned more about eyeballs in recent years than I thought I needed to know. The eyeball remains a "ball" partly because it is filled with fluid. The body is constantly generating fresh fluid, which flows into the eye; and in order to maintain the pressure, a corresponding amount of fluid must flow out through tiny drainage areas. If too much fluid accumulates, the pressure rises, which can cause damage to the optic nerve and contribute to the condition known as glaucoma. This damage, and the resulting loss of vision, is permanent and irreparable; so for those who have this condition, the pressure *must* be controlled through medication and/or surgery.
Normal eye pressure varies between 10 and 22 mmHg, but normal is different for each individual. I typically try to have pressure (controlled with the doctor's help) between 8 and 13. I go regularly to the Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah to have my eye pressure checked. It's a fine balance that has to be maintained, and I have to trust both the technology used to check pressure and the professionals who administer the tests and evaluate the results.
So it's important to have pressure, but not too much pressure!
Life is like that, isn't it? We need some amount of challenge, of difficulty, to help us grow and develop. But too much, and we can be damaged.
I #GiveThanks for the miracles of modern science that have saved, and continue to preserve, my eyesight. I also am grateful for the challenges of life that come on occasion; and for those who help relieve pressure when it gets too great.

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