{"id":20158,"date":"2021-12-12T08:24:13","date_gmt":"2021-12-12T08:24:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=20158"},"modified":"2021-12-12T08:24:13","modified_gmt":"2021-12-12T08:24:13","slug":"is-ocular-hypertension-serious","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/glaucoma-guide\/is-ocular-hypertension-serious\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Ocular Hypertension Serious?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Over 50% of people with ocular hypertension are unaware that they have this sight-threatening eye condition.<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Ocular hypertension is a serious condition that occurs when the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-exams\/why-is-eye-pressure-important\/\"> pressure within your eye<\/a> rises above normal limits.<\/p>\n<p><b>High eye pressure can lead to eye conditions, such as tunnel vision and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/glaucoma-guide\/\">glaucoma<\/a> \u2014 and permanent vision loss, if left untreated<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, ocular hypertension does not usually present with any noticeable symptoms or vision changes, so many people are unaware that they even have it.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-exams\/\">Regular eye exams<\/a> facilitate early detection and treatment of ocular hypertension, thus preventing damage to the optic nerve and permanent vision loss.<\/p>\n<h2><b>What is considered high eye pressure?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>A diagnosis of ocular hypertension is made when the pressure within the eye, also called the intraocular pressure (IOP), is higher than normal.<\/p>\n<p><b>High eye pressure is defined when the pressure is greater than 21 mm Hg.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Normal eye pressure ranges from 10-21 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury), depending on the time of day, though it is usually highest in the morning.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Is ocular hypertension serious?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><i>Yes.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Ocular hypertension is the most frequent cause of permanent optic nerve damage.<\/p>\n<p><b>Ocular hypertension is directly linked to an increased risk of glaucoma, a sight-threatening eye disease.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>SEE RELATED: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/glaucoma-guide\/glaucoma\/\">What is Glaucoma?<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\">Schedule an eye exam with an eye doctor near you<\/a> to evaluate your ocular pressure and protect your eye health and vision.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\t<div class=\"practice-search-widget\">\n\t\t<h3>Find an eye doctor near you<\/h3>\n\t\t\n\t<form class=\"practice-search-form practice-search-form-widget\" action=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/results\/\" method=\"get\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"page\" class=\"practice-search-page\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_latitude\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_longitude\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"address\" class=\"practice-search-address\" placeholder=\"City, Surburb or Address\" value=\"\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t<button type=\"submit\" class=\"practice-search-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M10.6796 0.130005C9.15708 0.130059 7.66615 0.5646 6.38198 1.38258C5.09781 2.20057 4.07373 3.36803 3.43004 4.74783C2.78634 6.12763 2.54976 7.66246 2.74808 9.17205C2.9464 10.6816 3.57139 12.1033 4.54964 13.27L0.729639 17.08C0.6364 17.1732 0.562439 17.2839 0.511979 17.4058C0.461519 17.5276 0.435547 17.6581 0.435547 17.79C0.435547 17.9219 0.461519 18.0524 0.511979 18.1743C0.562439 18.2961 0.6364 18.4068 0.729639 18.5C0.917942 18.6883 1.17334 18.7941 1.43964 18.7941C1.5715 18.7941 1.70207 18.7681 1.82389 18.7177C1.94571 18.6672 2.0564 18.5932 2.14964 18.5L5.99964 14.62C7.35406 15.6038 8.98566 16.1324 10.6596 16.13C12.7814 16.13 14.8162 15.2871 16.3165 13.7869C17.8168 12.2866 18.6596 10.2517 18.6596 8.13C18.6596 6.00827 17.8168 3.97344 16.3165 2.47315C14.8162 0.97286 12.7814 0.130005 10.6596 0.130005H10.6796ZM10.6796 14.13C9.49295 14.13 8.33291 13.7781 7.34622 13.1188C6.35952 12.4595 5.59049 11.5225 5.13636 10.4261C4.68224 9.32975 4.56342 8.12335 4.79493 6.95946C5.02644 5.79558 5.59788 4.72648 6.437 3.88736C7.27611 3.04825 8.34521 2.4768 9.5091 2.24529C10.673 2.01378 11.8794 2.1326 12.9757 2.58673C14.0721 3.04085 15.0092 3.80989 15.6685 4.79658C16.3277 5.78328 16.6796 6.94332 16.6796 8.13C16.6796 9.7213 16.0475 11.2474 14.9223 12.3726C13.7971 13.4979 12.2709 14.13 10.6796 14.13Z\" fill=\"#fff\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t<button type=\"button\" class=\"practice-search-use-my-location\">\n\t\t\tSearch near me\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\n\t<\/form>\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<h2><b>What causes ocular hypertension?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>The aqueous humor, the fluid that fills the front of the eye, is essential for maintaining eye health, and it\u2019s regular flow is vital for keeping eye pressure within normal limits.<\/p>\n<p>The aqueous humor is responsible for:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Lubricating the muscles and fibers of the eye\u2019s focusing lens<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Providing nourishment and oxygen to the back of the cornea<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Maintaining the shape of the cornea<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Removing waste particles from the eye<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This fluid within the eye is constantly moving\u2014 as new fluid is produced, \u2018older\u2019 fluid drains out. This normal flow regulates the intraocular pressure.<\/p>\n<p>However, when a problem occurs within the vital drainage system and the fluid can no longer exit the eye efficiently, the fluid begins to build up\u2014 resulting in a rise in intraocular pressure.<\/p>\n<h2><b>How is ocular hypertension treated?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Ocular hypertension by itself is not a condition that is generally treated. Instead, your eye doctor may recommend regular follow up exams to facilitate early detection of glaucoma.<\/p>\n<p><b>Patients with high IOP, without any signs of glaucoma, are often referred to as \u2018Glaucoma Suspects\u2019.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>If early signs of glaucoma are detected, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/glaucoma-guide\/how-is-glaucoma-treated\/glaucoma-how-do-eye-drops-work\/\">medicated eye drops<\/a> may be prescribed to lower the IOP and reduce the rate of glaucoma progression.<\/p>\n<p>Some of these eye drops help to improve aqueous fluid drainage, while others help to reduce aqueous humor production.<\/p>\n<p><b>LEARN MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/eye-conditions\/\">Guide to Eye Conditions<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\">Schedule an eye exam with an eye doctor near you<\/a> to protect your eye health and vision.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><i>Ocular hypertension occurs when the pressure within your eye rises due to poor eye fluid drainage.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>Ocular hypertension rarely presents with symptoms, so frequent eye exams are the only way to identify and prevent high eye pressure from causing glaucoma, a sight-threatening eye disease<\/i><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Over 50% of people with ocular hypertension are unaware that they have this sight-threatening eye condition. Ocular hypertension is a serious condition that occurs when<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1206,"featured_media":20159,"parent":12339,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-article.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20158","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Is Ocular Hypertension Serious? - Optometrists.org<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/glaucoma-guide\/is-ocular-hypertension-serious\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is Ocular Hypertension Serious? - Optometrists.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Over 50% of people with ocular hypertension are unaware that they have this sight-threatening eye condition. 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