Are you at risk for glaucoma?

In India, glaucoma is the third leading cause of irreversible blindness with nearly 12 million people suffering from the disease. One in 20 Indians over the age of 40 either has glaucoma or is in danger of developing it in the future.

Glaucoma begins with affecting the far periphery of the vision, most patients are unaware that they have the disease until it progresses and destroys central vision.

Types & symptoms

There are two major types of glaucoma — open-angle and angle-closure glaucomas. The most common form is open-angle glaucoma, which progresses slowly and the patient may not feel even a slight loss of vision.

Some of the symptoms of the disorder are severe headaches, eye pain, nausea and appearance of rainbow-coloured circles around bright lights.

When glaucoma affects babies and young children, it is usually diagnosed within a year of life. Here, the symptoms include enlarged eyes, cloudiness of the cornea and photosensitivity.

Prevention

A regular eye examination plays a key role in detecting glaucoma. Conditions like hypertension and diabetes need to be well controlled to prevent risk factors for progression of glaucoma.

(The author is medical officer, Dr Agarwal’s Eye Hospital)