CREATING MORE AWARENESS ABOUT GLAUCOMA by Akande Zainab Taiwo

CREATING MORE AWARENESS ABOUT GLAUCOMA

By; Akande Zainab Taiwo, a corps member serving at Radio Nigeria Ibadan.

Glaucoma which is known to be the leading cause of irreversible blindness, is a disease that damages the eye’s optic nerves which is responsible for carrying images from the eyes to the brain as a result of fluids that build up in the front part of the eye. The extra fluid increases the pressure in the eye thereby damaging the optic nerve resulting to loss of vision or complete blindness.

World glaucoma week is a joint initiative between the world glaucoma association and the world glaucoma patient association and has had a highly successful run for the past 10 years, the theme for this year’s world glaucoma week is beat-invisible-glaucoma, B.I.G.

Studies have shown that no fewer than 1.8 million Nigerians of over 40 years of age suffer from glaucoma with almost 360,000 of them blind in both eyes.

Globally, in 2013, the number of people aged 40-80 years with glaucoma worldwide was estimated to be 64.3 million, and has currently increased to 76 million with 10 million people who are already blind, 80 million in 2020 and 111.8 million in 2040.

In the Bayesian meta-regression research model, men are more likely to have primary open-angle glaucoma, POAG, than women and after adjusting for age, gender, habitation type, response rate, people of African ancestry are more likely to have primary open-angle glaucoma, POAG, than people of European ancestry and people living in urban areas were more likely to have primary open-angled glaucoma than those in rural areas.

More than 3 million Americans are living with glaucoma, 2.7 million of whom are aged 40 and older are affected by its most common form, open angle glaucoma.

Since vision loss due to optic nerve damage cannot be restored, sight can only be preserved through early diagnosis.

There is no treatment for glaucoma, however, current methods of treatment, including medication or surgery, can slow the progression of the disease and prevent further vision impairment. The preferred treatment is however dependent on a few factors, including the type of damage and the advancement of the disease.

The national eye institute recently found that while ninety percent of people had heard of glaucoma, only eight percent were aware that it has no early warning signs and only an experienced optometrist can identify the initial signs of glaucoma through a comprehensive eye exam.

In a study carried out in the south-eastern part of Nigeria, it was found that people know that glaucoma causes blindness and it can be managed by means of drugs and surgery. About one hundred and thirty-four people were unsure or said that it was a spiritual problem or curse. More than a third did not know that vision loss due to glaucoma is irreversible.

Awareness of the existence of a chronic, symptomless disease may be a key step towards control of that disease, but a good knowledge of the condition is pertinent for good compliance with the management plan

As glaucoma has been identified as the leading cause of irreversible blindness in Nigeria and in the world at large, there is a pressing need to create adequate awareness in order to curtail the prevalence of this deadly disease.

Good knowledge of glaucoma may enhance healthy behaviour among citizens and enable both patients and their family members cope with the demands of the life-long management of the condition.

Health organizations and hospitals are enjoined to help people become more aware of what this disease is about and how it can be managed

This can be achieved by organizing free screening and testing in local primary health centres and hospitals, participating in radio and TV programs to explain to people what needs to be known about glaucoma, and liaising with newspaper houses to publish information about glaucoma.

The government can also help by organizing more awareness activities such as organizing campaigns, sensitization outreaches in the rural and urban areas, and setting up centres for free eye examinations.

People, especially older people are however enjoined to take good care of their eyes, pay proper attention to any sign and symptom, go for eye examinations and be more aware of how to efficiently manage their condition.