Glaucoma: The danger you don’t see coming

The eye is one of the most important parts of human body. Apart from the fact that with our eyes we see the beauty of nature, read, recognize faces and move freely, it’s connect us to the world and help us live independently. The eyes are like windows to the soul, they’ve seen it all, the joy, tears, love and of course heartbreaks.

Many people don’t realize how important their sight is until they loose it. Conditions like glaucoma, cataract and eyes infection can damage the eye silently. That is why regular check ups are very important even when the vision seems perfect.

Imagine waking up and not being able to see faces of your loved ones, not seeing the sunrise, not watching your children play, not being able to read your favorite books. That is what it feels like when the eyes are gone.

Just like Mr Olu, who was in his living room watching the evening news with his family when his eyes suddenly went dark.

It happened so sudden that no one saw it coming, not even Mr Olu himself because up until that moment, he had never complained of any eye problem.

“This must be a spiritual attack”, they all concluded. After all, Mr Olu was a renowned businessman whose business had grown rapidly in recent times. They family believed that his competitors were behind the misfortune, so they moved from one spiritual house to the other seeking a cure. But it was when they finally consulted an eye specialist, they learnt that Mr Olu’s blindness was not spiritual at all. What he had was glaucoma.

Glaucoma is a group of eye disease that damage the optic nerve which is the pathway that carries image from eye to the brain.

The damage is often caused by a build up pressure inside the eye known as intraocular pressure (IOP)

Over the years, glaucoma has silently robbed many people of their sight. It’s symptoms develop so gradually that they often go unnoticed until significant damage has been done.

Often called “the silent thief of the sight”, glaucoma damages the optic nerve slowly and without warning. By the time many people realize that something is wrong, the damage is already advanced and sadly, glaucoma related blindness cannot be reversed.

In Nigeria, research shows that about one in every 20 people aged 40 and above is affected by glaucoma and it is the leading cause of blindness and visual impairment in the country. Yet, many people do not see the need to have their eyes checked regularly.

Awareness about glaucoma remains very low and studies has shown that no one is entirely safe. However, people who are over 40 years of age, those with family of glaucoma, diabetics and an individual who have used steroid drug for a long period of time are at greater risk.

Though glaucoma presently has no cure, but it can be managed through eye drops, laser treatment or surgery if detected early. With proper care, people living with glaucoma can still live a normal fulfilling lives, seeing their loved ones smile, reading their favorite books, watching the news and of course watching their children grow into adulthood

A simple eye test could be the difference between clear vision and a life of darkness. Thinking our eyes are fine when they are not will only increase the number of visually impaired people in the world.

Let us not wait for warning signs before checking our eyes because glaucoma does not announce itself, it does not hurt, it doesn’t shout, it whispers until the whispers turns into darkness.

Your eyes are precious, do not wait for symptoms. Get your eyes tested regularly starting today because tomorrow may be too late especially if you are above 40 or have a family history of glaucoma.

Protect your sight today, so you do not live with regret tomorrow because vision is life and life deserves to be seen clearly.

Nosimot Soneye is information officer with Ogu. State Ministry of Information and Strategy (Department of Public Enlightenment)

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