HEALTHY REASONING: Don’t Let Glaucoma Make You Blind

By Allan Bucka Jones
Pride Health Columnist

The silent thief of sight is the name given to a complex eye disorder known as glaucoma. The disease occurs more frequently in Black individuals, usually in a more aggressive manner, and is harder to treat.

Glaucoma occurs in all ethnic groups. In the 40 year old group, the rate of glaucoma in most groups is 2 to 3 %, however in Blacks or people of African heritage, the rate is about 9%.

You can be seeing everything perfect with no need for glasses, yet you have glaucoma. Many people walk around with glaucoma without knowing, because there are no symptoms, while damage to their vision is occurring.

It is only in the latter stages, when you have lost significant side or peripheral vision, that you will realize there is something wrong with your ability to see.

So glaucoma silently steals your ability to see. Without treatment glaucoma can cause blindness, so early detection and treatment for glaucoma, is essential to prevent severe vision loss or blindness.

Glaucoma has been diagnosed in over 300,000 Canadians, however it is estimated that an equal number of Canadians have the disease but remain undiagnosed. For every person in Canada blinded by glaucoma, six others have lost useful vision.

So how does glaucoma happen? It is a situation that occurs when there is a build-up of fluid pressure inside the eye, although there are situations where people with low pressures have glaucoma, and conversely, people with greatly elevated pressures may not have glaucoma.

If glaucoma is left untreated, the optic nerve which connects the eye to the brain is damaged, leading to impaired vision and ultimately to blindness.

Glaucoma runs in families, so anyone with a relative with the disease runs a higher than average risk of developing glaucoma.

If you have diabetes, you are at a higher risk of having glaucoma. Other risk factors include, being Black or of African heritage, over age 50, short-sightedness, previous eye injury, elevated pressure in the eye and steroid medication.

Early detection and treatment of glaucoma is of extreme importance. Screening examinations can be done by an optometrist, ophthalmologist or family doctor, but the optometrist or ophthalmologist are the ones with the training and instruments to best diagnose glaucoma.

If you are over 40 years of age, it is suggested that an annual visit be made to an optometrist or ophthalmologist to screen for glaucoma, especially if you have any of the risk factors listed above.

There are many different types of glaucoma. Chronic or open angle glaucoma is the most common and occurs in 90% of all cases. It progresses slowly and gradually and slowly without symptoms, and usually involves both eyes.

Acute or angle closure glaucoma occurs when there is a blockage to the eye’s drainage channel. Here pressure increase can occur rapidly. If left untreated, blindness can occur within days, and this type of glaucoma is regarded as an emergency.

Once glaucoma is detected treatment is given. This treatment can be pressure lowering eye drops or surgery that reduces pressure inside the eye. Glaucoma is a serious eye disease. There is no known cure, only measures to stop further loss of vision.

Many glaucoma patients can still enjoy a full life due to the therapy prescribed by eye doctors. Once diagnosed, glaucoma requires lifelong treatment.

If you are over 40 years old, and never tested your eyes for glaucoma, talk to your family doctor and arrange to see an optometrist or ophthalmologist soon to test for glaucoma.

Remember, you can have glaucoma without knowing, and untreated glaucoma can lead to blindness. 

Allan Bucka Jones is a Health Promoter and Broadcaster. He can be heard on “Allan Bucka Jones LIVE”, Sundays from 3 to 5pm on CHRY 105.5 FM, CHRY RADIO App, www.chry.fm option RDO.to, Rogers Digital Cable 945, Bell Fibe 973 or mobile app TuneIn Radio. You can contact Allan Bucka Jones at allan@jonesandjones.ca.