SCIENCE REPORT - New Glaucoma Treatments

SCIENCE REPORT-January 10, 2002: New Glaucoma Treatments

By Nancy Steinbach
This is the VOA Special English Science Report.

Sixty-seven-million people around the world cannot see because they suffer from the disease glaucoma.

The disease prevents the clear fluid in the eye from flowing normally. This causes increased fluid pressure inside
the eye. The increased pressure can damage the optic nerve that carries images from the eye to the brain.

The most common kind of glaucoma mainly affects people over forty years old.
People with family members who have the disease are more likely to develop
glaucoma. Black people also are at higher risk for the disease. Others at high risk
include people suffering from diabetes¹ or high blood pressure.

The first sign of glaucoma is usually a very small loss
of sight at the outside edges of the eye. Experts say
most people do not know they have glaucoma until it
causes a real loss of sight. Vision already lost to the
disease cannot be restored.

However, the damage can be controlled and eyesight can be saved if the disease is
discovered early. Doctors treat glaucoma with eye medicines or a laser light
operation.

The United States Food and Drug Administration approved three new drugs last
year to treat glaucoma. Two of these drugs increase the movement of fluid out of the eye. This reduces pressure
in the eye. The third drug increases fluid drainage and also decreases the amount of fluid that is produced.

Researchers in Israel are developing a vaccine² to treat glaucoma. Michal [me-KHAL] Schwartz is a professor at
the Weizmann [VITES-mahn] Institute of Science in Rehovot [re -HO-vote]. She says tests on rats have shown
that the drug Copaxone protects the optic nerve. The researchers may begin testing the vaccine in people in the
next year or two. The Israeli researchers had developed Copaxone to treat the disease multiple sclerosis.

A Canadian researcher has created a device that permits people to measure their eye pressure at home. The device

measures the pressure through the eyelid³. Until now, measuring eye pressure could be done only at a doctor’s
office. Experts say the new device will give glaucoma patients and their doctors better information about how
drugs are working to control the pressure.

They also say that everyone over the age of forty should be tested for glaucoma by an eye doctor every year.

This VOA Special English Science Report was written by Nancy Steinbach.

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Normal vision
Vision with glaucoma
(Photos -National Eye
Institute)

1 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

2 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

3 eyelid   

n.眼睑，眼皮

参考例句：

• She lifted one eyelid to see what he was doing.她抬起一只眼皮看看他在做什么。
• My eyelid has been tumid since yesterday.从昨天起，我的眼皮就肿了。