How Do Allergy Medications Cause Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is an eye condition caused in part by elevated intraocular pressure, or IOP, affecting up to 4 million Americans. Even though glaucoma can eventually cause blindness, only half of persons with glaucoma are aware that they have the condition. There are two categories of adult glaucoma, wide or open angle glaucoma and narrow angle or angle closure glaucoma. Open angle glaucoma is a chronic condition where the ducts allowing fluid to flow out of the eye are normal size but have become clogged over time. Angle closure glaucoma is a physiological problem where the duct is too small and can suddenly become blocked by dilation of the eye. Both types are susceptible to complications created by different categories of allergy medications including decongestants, antihistamines and corticosteroids. Decongestants Decongestants such as pseudoephedrine, phenylephrine and oxymetazoline are used in allergy medications for their vasoconstrictive properties in oral formulations as well as nasa
