Written by Editorial Team |Updated : March 25, 2015 4:38 PM IST
Going blind is one of the worst nightmares a healthy person could have. To not be able to see the road ahead, depending on other people for even the most simple tasks, feeling like a liability to others are some of the factors that make blindness such a dreaded condition. And, one eye disease that you just need to know about is glaucoma, also referred to as the 'silent thief of vision'. In recent times, it has emerged as one of the most corroborating factors for blindness among patients, doctors in the national capital said on Wednesday.
It originates in the form of minor retinal disease and if untreated leads to glaucoma which can lead to blindness. 'The Indian subcontinent is home to 12 million glaucoma and retinal disease patients. It is also on the verge of notching the top position for the maximum number of patients of glaucoma and retinal diseases,' said Devinder Sood, director of Eye-Q Institute of glaucoma.
The World Retina Week is being observed Sep 23-29. According to WHO statistics, the prevalence of glaucoma in India is 2.6 percent. 'What makes glaucoma dreadful among many other eye diseases is its covertness,' said Ajay Sharma, former opthalmologist from the All India Institute of Medical Science and chairman and managing director of Eye-Q. (Read: Glaucoma How you can prevent blindness with regular checkups)
'By the time people realise they are losing vision, most of the damage has already been caused,' Sharma added.
Doctors suggest regular check-up to keep a tab on the disease.
'People staying in cities who rush to the doctor for every reason forget to do an eye check-up in months, which might prevent them from being aware of the eye disorders, which some time may lead to glaucoma,' Sharma added.
What is glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a disease condition that is the result of a number of mechanisms that produce increased pressure within the eye. This elevated eye pressure causes damage to the eye nerve over time. Unfortunately, the damage caused by glaucoma to the eye nerve is irreversible. There are no symptoms associated with most forms of glaucoma, a reason why it is also referred to as the 'silent thief of vision'. In some uncommon forms of the condition, the eye pressure can rise over a short time to a high level and the patient may experience eye pain, redness of the eye and halos around light. He or she may also have nausea and vomiting during this attack which may be precipitated by being in dim light for a considerable time e.g. watching a movie. Otherwise, most of the varieties of glaucoma may only cause a slowly progressive reduction in the area that we can see. This happens from outside to inside and is not recognised by most patients. (Read: Glaucoma causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment)
How do I know if I have glaucoma?
Most of the times, glaucoma presents with no symptoms. Occasional non-specific headaches, eye strain might be there. It is not uncommon to see patients who come in for glasses and end up being diagnosed with glaucoma. It can be diagnosed well only by an eye doctor by measuring the eye pressure.
Are there any risk factors which increase my chances of having glaucoma?
Can I prevent it in any way?
If you are above 40 years of age, it is recommended that you visit your eye doctor for a complete eye checkup every year. If you have any of the risk factors mentioned above, you may have to visit the eye doctor even earlier. (Read: Glaucoma beware of its silent attack!)
Read more about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma.
With inputs from IANS
For more articles on diseases & conditions , visit our diseases & conditions section. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And to join discussions on health topics of your choice, visit our forum.
... Read More
Don’t Miss Out on the Latest Updates.
Subscribe to Our Newsletter Today!
Refresh Page