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This is the VOA SpecialEnglish Science Report.
Sixty-seven-million people around the world cannot see becausethey suffer from the disease glaucoma.
The disease prevents the clear fluid in the eye from flowingnormally. This causes increased fluid pressure inside the eye. Theincreased pressure can damage the optic nerve that carries imagesfrom the eye to the brain.
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| Normalvision |
The most common kind of glaucomamainly affects people over forty years old. People with familymembers who have the disease are more likely to develop glaucoma.Black people also are at higher risk for the disease. Others at highrisk include people suffering from diabetes or high blood pressure.
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| Visionwith glaucoma |
The first sign of glaucoma isusually a very small loss of sight at the outside edges of the eye.Experts say most people do not know they have glaucoma until itcauses a real loss of sight. Vision already lost to the diseasecannot be restored.
However, the damage can be controlled and eyesight can be savedif the disease is discovered early. Doctors treat glaucoma with eyemedicines or a laser light operation.
The United States Food and Drug Administration approved three newdrugs last year to treat glaucoma. Two of these drugs increase themovement of fluid out of the eye. This reduces pressure in the eye.The third drug increases fluid drainage and also decreases theamount of fluid that is produced.
Researchers in Israel are developing a vaccine to treat glaucoma.Michal [me-KHAL] Schwartz is a professor at the Weizmann[VITES-mahn] Institute of Science in Rehovot [re-HO-vote]. She saystests on rats have shown that the drug Copaxone protects the opticnerve. The researchers may begin testing the vaccine in people inthe next year or two. The Israeli researchers had developed Copaxoneto treat the disease multiple sclerosis.
A Canadian researcher has created a device that permits people tomeasure their eye pressure at home. The device measures the pressurethrough the eyelid. Until now, measuring eye pressure could be doneonly at a doctor's office. Experts say the new device will giveglaucoma patients and their doctors better information about howdrugs are working to control the pressure.
They also say that everyone over the age of forty should betested for glaucoma by an eye doctor every year.
This VOA Special English Science Report was written by NancySteinbach.