The major problem with this disease is its asymptomatic (no symptoms) nature especially in adults. Sufferers don't know they have it so they don't seek for help till its near late or actually late. Hence the disease is tagged the silent thief of sight.
Studies have it that glaucoma is the 2nd leading cause of blindness worldwide. There are many types of glaucoma both in adult and children but this article is not addressing that.
RISK FACTORS
»Elevated intra-ocular pressure
»Age especially those greater than 40
»Family history - those with positive family history have five times more risk than those who don't
»Race- blacks are 3-4 times more likely to develop the disease than white.
»Refractive error - this refer to patients with short sight And long sight(myopia and hypermetropia)
»systemic diseases like diabetes and hypertension
»Drugs like steroids
SYMPTOMS
MAJORLY ASYMPTOMATIC
Late symptoms include
»eye heaviness
»frequent change of glasses
»diminution of vision
»bumping into objects
Note: glaucoma blinds by visual field loss, and as such the patient may have a clear vision but with reduced central visual field.
It is worthy of note that damage to the optic nerve in glaucoma is irreversible. The implication of this is that, once a percentage of the visual field is lost, like in the photo above, it can't be regained. For the above reasons, everyone is advised to go for regular eye check up in order to avert this avoidable thief of sight. Your doctor is your friend, please ask questions and get appropriate help.
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