For Your Eyes Only

To coincide with National Glaucoma Awareness Month, pharmacies around Australia are now distributing an information card to explain all there is to know about this important eye disease.

Over 300,000 Australians have glaucoma, but because there is generally no pain and the loss of sight is gradual, many of these people - in fact about 50% - are completely unaware they have the problem; yet they are slowly going blind. So glaucoma is known as the "sneak thief" of sight.

Glaucoma is an eye disease which occurs when pressure in the eyeball rises due to a build up of fluid. This build up takes place because either too much fluid is formed or because the canals which normally drain the fluid away don’t work properly.

Unfortunately, glaucoma can’t be cured. Once there is damage to the nerve cells in the eye, repair is not possible. However, the serious consequences of glaucoma can be prevented if the condition is discovered soon enough. Early treatment, usually with eye drops to stabilise the pressure in the eye, can help avoid the further loss of sight.

According to Glaucoma Australia’s National Executive Officer, Beverley Lindsell, glaucoma can occur at any age, but it is more common in people over the age of 40, and particularly those with certain risk factors such as a family history of the disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, short sightedness and in those people who get migraine headaches.

In the early stages of glaucoma, most people experience no symptoms, even when losing their sight. Nevertheless, there are sometimes warning signs. Some people may notice a need to change their glasses more often, perhaps find it hard to see in dark rooms, lose wide vision, or have blurred sight.

The only way to prevent loss of vision is early detection and treatment, said Mrs Lindsell. So the key message of the awareness campaign this year is "Get tested, Get treated".

There are several ways to check if you have glaucoma. Your eye specialist or optometrist can measure the pressure of the fluid in your eye; the nerves and blood vessels in your eye can be checked for damage; and your field of vision can be tested for blind spots or sight loss.

In the future, it may be possible to identify people who are most at risk of glaucoma at an early age by genetic testing; and to commence treatment well before any signs of glaucoma occur.

Meanwhile, have your eyes checked every two years, or as often as your eye specialist tells you. If you are using eye drops to treat glaucoma, make sure you know how your eye medicines work so as to get the most benefit from them; and make sure you have enough on hand especially if you plan to be away from home for a few days.