Consultancy Corner: An annual eye check-up would help identify glaucoma

Glaucoma is a disease that belongs to the latter category where a patient wouldn’t experience any pain or experience vision changes. 

However, on clinical examination, it could be determined to be glaucoma, a disease in which fluid pressure within the eye rises. Early detection of glaucoma is the only way to prevent further damage as it could later lead to irreversible blindness. 

Glaucoma is the second prominent cause of blindness in the world accounting for up to 8 per cent of blindness. In India, glaucoma is the third leading cause of irreversible blindness with nearly 12 million people affected and as much as 1.2 million going blind due to it. 

The risk is high among those aged over 40. One in 20 Indians over the age of 40 either has glaucoma or is in danger of developing glaucoma in future. The disease damages the optic nerve and is a leading cause of blindness also for people aged over 60. 

Glaucoma typically begins by affecting the periphery of the vision. Nearly half of those with glaucoma remain undiagnosed, and 50% have advanced disease at the time of diagnosis. Since glaucoma-related vision loss is permanent and treatment can slow progression and prevent blindness, regular screening is recommended. 

There are two major types — open-angle glaucomas and angle-closure glaucomas. 

Severe headache, eye pain, vomiting sensation and appearance of rainbow-coloured circles around bright lights. 

Glaucoma can’t be prevented but it can be treated more effectively to avoid vision loss. 

The treatment should started immediately with prescribed eye drops.  It would reduce the formation of fluid in the eye or increase its flow. It is necessary for a patient to undergo either laser or micro-surgery to prevent loss of vision. The surgeon would create a new channel to drain the fluid and ease eye pressure. 

When glaucoma affects babies and young children, it is usually diagnosed within a year of birth. Here the symptoms include enlarged eyes, cloudiness of the cornea and photosensitivity.