Being Aware Is the First Step to Action

This month is National Glaucoma Awareness Month, which begs the question, “why aware?” Why not National Glaucoma Prevention Month or National Glaucoma Treatment Month? Awareness seems like a pretty weak modifier for something as serious as glaucoma, but in researching further I think I’ve found the reason. While there are three million Americans who have glaucoma, 50% of them don’t even know they have open-angle glaucoma which is the most common form of the disease. The first huge step in treating glaucoma is becoming aware that you have it.

Glaucoma is a group of diseases that damage the eye’s optic nerve and can result in vision loss and is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. There is no cure (yet) for glaucoma, but if it’s caught early, you can preserve your vision and prevent vision loss. Taking action is key.

If you’re like me, I’ve often taken the short cut to eye health. I’ve gone to the cheapest eye doctor I could find to see if I need a prescription change so I can go on-line and get my low-cost contacts (I’ve worn contacts for 30 years). There are 5 tests that can be done to identify varied forms of glaucoma and I can almost guarantee that a quick eye exam isn’t going to include some of these tests. My point here is . . . you need to periodically make an appointment with your ophthalmologist. They are trained to test and identify medical problems with your eyes and are the ones that can accurately diagnosis glaucoma.

I know from experience that an ophthalmologist can help save vision. My family has a history of detached retinas. I don’t know how a detached retina can have genetic or a hereditary basis, but I did know that two of my brothers and one of my sisters have had a detached retina, so I was quite aware of the symptoms of the beginnings of a detached retina. I experienced a symptom and went to an ophthalmologist who worked and worked until she found a slight horseshoe shaped tear which I had fixed by a surgeon that day. When I saw her on a follow-up exam, she tested quite vigorously for glaucoma since a retina detachment can lead to glaucoma. Glaucoma can also be hereditary, so knowing what eye problems your relatives have had can be a reason for added vigilance in testing for glaucoma.

I’m going to pause here for a short commercial. If you’d read many of my blogs you know that I’m a fan of maintaining a file, either hard copy or digital, of all your health to examine you over your lifetime. It can show a rise in your pressure from your baseline and, even though the pressure may be within acceptable limits, it shows a change for you and may be a sign that you need more frequent exams to monitor the change. I’ve moved since my retina tear but I have pictures of the tear and can alert a new ophthalmologist of my condition so they can pay special attention to that eye and that condition.

There are other groups that have a higher risk of glaucoma. Those of African, Asian or Hispanic descent, people over 60, people with diabetes and those with high blood pressure, are all at a higher risk of glaucoma. It should be noted that glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in African Americans. I would be remiss if I didn’t include some symptoms of glaucoma that you should be aware of.

• Hazy vision
• Eye and head pain
• Nausea or vomiting
• The appearance of rainbow-colored circles around bright lights
• Sudden sight loss

While these are symptoms that deserve our attention, we need to remember that often we could have glaucoma without symptoms. Here is a link to a great booklet on glaucoma that will give you all the details about all facets of the disease.

In keeping with the theme of last week’s blog and my visit to the Consumer Electronics Show where I saw all the new innovations in healthcare devices, I will note that there are two new devices that will enable the home monitoring of eye pressure. A smart contact lens that gives continuous pressure readings and a home testing device that can be used to give up to 6 pressure readings a day. These new devices will be extremely valuable to monitor the impact of different treatments.

As always, our government should work to remove barriers to innovation and discovery so we may soon find a cure for this sight stealing disease. The legislation passed at the end of last year was a step in the WRONG direction. We all need to work toward opening the paths to the discovery of new treatments and cures.

Finally, if there is one thing to take from this blog it’s to become aware of eye health and glaucoma and don’t put off your regular visit to an ophthalmologist, especially if you fall into one of the high-risk categories.

Best, Thair