World Glaucoma Week: Learn about glaucoma and protect your sight before it is too late

Glaucoma affects 67 million people worldwide ¹, causing irreversible loss of vision if left untreated
Regular eye exams are essential: patients can lose up to 40% of their vision before realizing they have glaucoma ²
Glaucoma is under-diagnosed: early detection and proper treatment are necessary to preserve vision ³

Johannesburg: Thursday 10 March 2016 – Approximately 67 million people around the world are living with glaucoma¹, and unfortunately, up to half of these sufferers aren’t aware they have the disease⁴. In other words; more than 30 million people – which is more than half of the population of France – are slowly losing their sight without notice. Currently, there are 4.5 million people around the world who are blind from the disease⁵.

Glaucoma is the second-leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide⁶, yet it is a disease that many know little about⁵. Alcon, the world leader in providing treatment solutions for patients living with glaucoma, is raising awareness during World Glaucoma Week about the potential dangers of this disease and the critical need for everyone to schedule regular eye examinations to protect their eyesight.

A media conference and panel discussion was held on Tuesday 8 March at St John’s Eye Hospital in Soweto where Ophthalmologist and Head of Department, Professor Grant McLaren, spoke to media about glaucoma. Other members of the panel included glaucoma patients, ophthalmologists and a representative from the South African Department of Health.

“Glaucoma can remain silent and hence undiagnosed for years until vision is deteriorated, so regular eye checks are the only way to detect this eye disease early enough to be adequately treated.” said Prof Mclaren “There is currently no cure for glaucoma but with effective treatments, it is possible to slow down its progression. Elevated ocular pressure is the most important modifiable risk factor for glaucoma: so keeping eye pressure under control is the key to helping glaucoma patients preserve their sight.”

World Glaucoma Week: what can you do to help preserve your vision?

Schedule an eye exam. Glaucoma is known as the “silent thief of sight” ⁷ and is a disease without noticeable symptoms ⁸ – as much as 40% of your vision can be lost before you even begin to notice ³, so regular check-ups with an eye care professional are critical⁴.
Talk about glaucoma. Everyone, from babies to senior citizens, can develop glaucoma ⁹. Speak with parents, family, friends and colleagues about the disease and the importance of early detection.
Make sure your loved ones are taking their glaucoma medication. With adequate treatment, most people with glaucoma will not lose their sight ¹⁰. However, up to 25% of glaucoma patients do not take their prescribed medications ¹¹. And, nearly 50% of patients stop taking their medication completely within six months of treatment ¹², a behavior that, over time, could lead to vision loss ¹³.

More about Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that lead to progressive damage of the optic nerve¹⁴. Because a healthy optic nerve is essential to the transmission of information from the eye to the brain¹⁵, glaucoma can result in a gradual, irreversible loss of vision, and eventually blindness, if left untreated¹⁶. The exact cause of glaucoma is unknown.

There are two main types of glaucoma: primary or open-angle glaucoma, and acute, or angle-closure glaucoma. Open-angle glaucoma accounts for nearly 90% of all cases¹⁷ of glaucoma and is often asymptomatic, so it often remains undetected until it is at an advanced stage¹⁸. Angle-closure glaucoma, on the other hand, is less common, but requires immediate medical attention¹⁹. Symptoms of angle-closure glaucoma may include severe pain, nausea, redness of the eye and blurred vision¹¹.

Glaucoma treatments and risk factors

Glaucoma is not curable²⁰ and vision lost cannot be restored. However, remaining vision may be preserved through treatment²¹. Glaucoma can be treated with eye drops, oral medications, laser surgery, traditional surgery, or a combination of these methods²².

In addition to high intraocular pressure¹⁷, certain factors can increase the risk for developing glaucoma, including²³:

People with a family history of glaucoma
Everyone over age 60
African-Americans over age 40
People of Asian descent (risk for angle-closure glaucoma, specifically)
People with diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease
People with physical eye injuries
People who have used steroids for a long period of time.

On Tuesday morning, March 8, Professor Grant McLaren of St John’s Eye Hospital in Soweto hosted a panel discussion to mark World Glaucoma Week, which runs from 6 to 12 March 2016. At the function, members of the media were able to hear from and interact with representatives from the Department of Health, Alcon Glaucoma, glaucoma patients and Ophthalmologists, from both the public and private sectors with regards the disease which effects four in every 50 South Africans over the age of 40. Here the panellists, in the front, Candice Botha, Dr Shelley Biddulph, Maya Laxmidas, Virginia Mawela, Wiseman Ndaba and at the back right, Prof. Grant McLaren are pictured with Aaron Tselane (back left) from Alcon.