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Amblyopia
Age Related Macular Degeneration
Cataract
Eye Injuries
Diabetes Eye Disease
New Zealand National Eye Bank Trust
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Glaucoma is the number one preventable cause of blindness
in New Zealand. Most of the time glaucoma is not associated
with any pain or vision loss until the disease is very advanced.
The only way for glaucoma to be diagnosed is by special
tests done by an eye care professional, that is, an optometrist
or ophthalmologist. Therefore, you should be tested for
glaucoma as early detection and treatment will give you
the best possibility of retaining your sight for your whole
life.
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Glaucoma often goes unrecognized until significant permanent
damage and some loss of sight has occurred. Once damage
from glaucoma occurs it is permanent. The sight lost cannot
be restored. In the early stages, glaucoma has no symptoms
and you may not realise it is present in your eyes. You
may see very well and your eyes may be very comfortable
yet glaucoma may be present.
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You should take responsibility for your eyes and have regular
eye checks. Early detection and appropriate treatment is
in your best interests to retain your eyesight.
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No, there is not a simple test to rule out glaucoma. There
are three main factors that together are needed to diagnose
glaucoma. They are the pressure in the eye, the appearance
of the optic nerve inside your eye and the presence of any
defects in your side vision (peripheral vision). An eye
care professional will know how far it is necessary to go
to rule out glaucoma for you. That is why detection of glaucoma
requires an eye examination rather then one simple screening
test.
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How often you need an eye examination will depend on your
age and whether you have any risk factors that increase
the chance of you developing this disease. If you have no
risk factors and are under 60 years of age an eye examination
every 5 years is recommended. If you are over 60 yrs of
age then every 3 years and if there are any risk factors
more frequent examinations are required. Your eye care practitioner
will advise you.
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What then is glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a group of diseases of the eye that gradually
steals sight without warning and usually without any symptoms.
It causes damage to the nerve that connects your eye to
your brain like the connecting the telephone to the exchange.
If this is damaged, there is no communication and therefore
no eyesight.
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Normal Optic Nerve
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Optic Nerve in Glaucoma
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It is present in 2% of the population over 40 years of age
and becomes more common with increasing age. Up to 10% of
people over 70 years of age have glaucoma. Yet glaucoma
can affect people of any age and can even be present at
birth.
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The risk factors include increasing age, a family history,
short-sightedness (myopia), trauma to the eye, and a wide
range of other eye diseases.
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Treatment of glaucoma may include one or more eye drops
every day for the rest of your life, laser treatment or
eye surgery. Regular eye examinations including tests of
the side (peripheral) vision will be necessary. There is
no place for eye exercises nor will a change in diet or
the use of herbal medicines make any significant difference.
People who have glaucoma require life-long treatment and
monitoring. So it is important for them to understand their
condition.
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The initial examination to exclude glaucoma is usually done
by your eye care practitioner, either an eye specialist
(ophthalmologist) or optometrist. If you have glaucoma you
need to be under the care of an ophthalmologist who will
monitor your eyes regularly and initiate appropriate treatment.
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Glaucoma New Zealand is a non-profit charitable trust set
up in New Zealand to increase awareness of glaucoma in our
community, to educate and advise people with glaucoma and
to promote research into glaucoma in New Zealand.
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Please click on the link to “Glaucoma NZ” for
more information
www.glaucoma.org.nz
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