Beat the invisible Glaucoma with regular eye checkup- Experts
Pune 12 March 2020 : Early detection and regular eye check ups are the key to slowing progression of Glaucoma , however in later stages Glaucoma is irreversible and can result in blindness, opined the experts . World Glaucoma Week is being observed from 8th-14 March worldwide.
Glaucoma is a group of disorders where there is rise of intraocular pressure which causes permanent optic nerve damage and irreversible vision loss. It is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide.
Dr Vidya Chelerkar , Glaucoma Consultant at H.V Desai Eye Hospital said that glaucoma is mostly asymptomatic and patients come to the eye specialist at a very late stage. Hence it is called ‘silent thief of sight’. Loss of field of vision is noticed only in later stages of the disease.Few patients may have nausea or vomiting, headache, seeing halos around light, pain in the eye, blurred vision, redness.Glaucoma affects people of all age groups. However it is more common after the of age of 40 years. So it is advisable for people to have their eye test done atleast once or twice a year after the age of 40 . A complete eye examination involving slit lamp examination,optic nerve examination, IOP measurement, gonioscopy, perimetry can detect whether a person has glaucoma.
Dr . Kalyani VKS, Glaucoma consultant at H.V.Desai Eye Hospital added that there are certain pre existing medical conditions which can increase the risk of glaucoma, which include people with high glasses number( may be plus or minus), positive family history, prolonged use of steroids, trauma to eye. Associated risk factors are Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension.
Dr Vidya Chelerkar said that patients are started on medical therapy initially and there are surgical options as well .Once patient is diagnosed as a case of glaucoma, regular follow up is absolutely necessary to monitor the disease progression.
