It's Easier to prevent blindness than to cure it.; Glaucoma

GLAUCOMA

Light is a gift, yet we walk around every day and some end up in darkness. What is the benefit of light without sight? Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that gradually steals sight without warning and often without symptoms.

Glaucoma can be described as a medical condition in which normal fluid pressure inside the eyes known as intraocular pressure, slowly rises when the aqueous humour which normally flows in and out of the eye cannot drain it properly. Instead the fluid collects and causes pressure damage to the optic nerve leading to blindness. 

Statistics has shown that glaucoma is the 2nd leading cause of blindness worldwide and the 1st leading cause of irreversible blindness. It has also shown that 77 million people worldwide are affected. 

**There are 3 main types**

*1 Congenital glaucoma:
It is due to developmental abnormalities and is seen in babies and young children.

*2 Open angle glaucoma
This is the most common. It is as a result of obstruction of the drainage of the fluid.

*3 Secondary glaucoma
It is secondary to other medical conditions like diabetes, eye surgery, cataracts, e.t.c.
It is often asymptomatic until the late stage (blindness).

It can be detected on eye examination. During the posterior segment examination of the eye, the optic cup disc ratio is checked.

Normal cup disc ratio is between 0.1 – 0.3
Suspected case of glaucoma is between 0.4 – 0.6
Actual case of glaucoma is from 0.7 above

There are other confirmatory tests that can be done to confirm the diagnosis of glaucoma and which include:

itemIntraocular pressure estimation
Pachymetry
Central visual field assessment e.t.c.

The treatment is aimed at reducing the intraocular pressure and preventing blindness.

The treatment methods available are:

• Medical treatment
• Surgical treatment
• Laser use

Medical treatment:
This involves the use of the following drugs – Beta blockers, Alpha agonists, Prostaglandins analogs, Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, Osmotic agents, e.t.c.

As the saying goes

A stitch in time saves nine”, Early detection and treatment is the best method of treatment for glaucoma.

GO DO AN EYE EXAMINATIO TODAY AND KNOW YOUR STATUS TO PREVENT BLINDNESS.