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Article: Eye drops help combat glaucoma
- Article from:
- Chicago Sun-Times
- Article date:
- June 16, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2002 Chicago Sun-Times. (Hide copyright information)
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WASHINGTON--Regular use of medicated eye drops to alleviate
pressure can delay and even prevent the development of glaucoma, the
leading cause of blindness, according to a new study.
The 10-year study released Thursday by the National Eye Institute
at the National Institutes of Health found that people who use the
medicated eye drops have a 50 percent greater chance of delaying the
onset of primary open-angle glaucoma, the most common form of the
sight-robbing disease.
Researchers said the findings are significant because they provide
the first hard evidence of the effectiveness of eye drops and the
damaging effect that extreme pressure has on the optic nerve.
"The study clearly makes a ...