I was opportuned to attend a conference organised by AMSA (African Medical Students Association) on ophthalmology and Vision science some weeks back and I can say I was glad I did for beside refreshing my knowledge on what I have been taught, I equally acquired new knowledge especially on optics history and glaucoma which is the main inspiration for this post.

Glaucoma

Before glaucoma in brief, I got to know that the first glasses were made in Northern Italy in 1300s which leaves me thinking, there must have been high incidence of poor sight for it to become a burden for improvement.

Glaucoma

Well, thank God it became a burden for individuals like myself to benefit from it. Maybe without it, I could have become blind Bat now and I refuse to imagine how hilarious it would look while walking and maybe I should think of what to invent to make life easy for great people like myself.

Do you know why glaucoma is called the silent thief of sight by health professionals?

If you don’t,  then continue reading.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions, associated with high eye pressure which causes damage to eyes optic nerve and gets worse with time. It damages optic nerve that transmits images from eyes to brain for interpretation .

Glaucoma tends to be inherited and most likely won’t show up till later in life.

The increased pressure, also known as intraocular pressure, can damage the optic nerve, which transmits images to the brain. Glaucoma can lead to permanent vision loss as a result of continuous damage. Without treatment, glaucoma can cause total permanent blindness within a few years.

In Most cases people with glaucoma have no early symptoms or pain.

If you’re over age 40 and have a family history of the disease, you should get a complete eye exam from an eye doctor every 1 to 2 years.

If you have health problems like diabetes or a family history of glaucoma or are at risk for other eye diseases, you may need to go more often.

Risk Factors

  • First, being human and alive for the dead can’t see nada.
  • African-American, Irish, Russian, Japanese, Hispanic, Inuit, or Scandinavian descent
  • Age over 40 years
  • Family history of glaucoma
  • Poor vision
  • Diabetes
  • Steroid medications, like prednisone
  • Trauma to the eye or eyes

Signs and Symptoms

Initially glaucoma comes with no signs in Most individuals no wonder it’s called “sneak thief of vision” for the first sign is peripheral, side vision loss which can go a long time unnoticed .

Occasionally, pressure inside the eye can rise to severe levels. In these case, one may have sudden eye pain, headache, blurred vision, or the appearance of halos around lights.

  • Seeing halos around lights
  • Vision loss
  • Redness in the eye
  • Eye that looks hazy (particularly in infants)
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Eye pain
  • Narrowed vision (tunnel vision)

With any of the above listed signs, pay your ophthalmologist a visit and get proper diagnosis which includes

  • Tonometry
  • Visual field Test

Treatment

This ranges from eye drop to laser surgery to micro surgery depending on the presenting conditions and early diagnosis plus treatment gives better prognosis.

Glaucoma can’t be prevented but it can be controlled to avoid becoming blind while getting old or aging up.

So get your eyes checked today if you are over 40 years or if you have any issue relating to your sight for it’s one of the organs that is really important.

It’s Glaucoma Awareness month and this is us giving our 2 cents for its awareness.

I am open to topics ranging from health to others, you wish to be discussed.

Hit me your topics in the comments section or privately!

Till my next post, stay healthy and connect with us on Instagram @_zanaposh for more.