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There are an estimated 64 million people worldwide with glaucoma, a group of eye conditions in which the main nerve to the eye - the optic nerve - becomes damaged.

It carries information about what is being seen from the eye to the brain - but when it becomes damaged, vision is lost.

According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, it is now a leading cause of blindness.

Its most common in men and women over the age of 40, and if left untreated it can lead to up to 40 per cent of sight being permanently gone before the effects are noticed.

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There are often no early symptoms of glaucoma, but when it becomes more advanced, signs may include missing or patchy sight or even serious loss of vision.

There are often no early symptoms of glaucoma, but when it becomes more advanced, signs may include missing or patchy sight or even serious loss of vision.

During this years National Glaucoma Awareness Week, from 12th to 18th June, the International Glaucoma Association (IGA) is aiming to educate people about the importance of eye pressure to eye health, and how it can point to glaucoma.

As part of its Pressure checked? #Get Eye Wise campaign, they want people to know that raised eye pressure indicates the condition, and to encourage them to ask about it as part of a regular eye health check.

Karen Osborn, chief executive of the IGA, said: How often do you check the pressure in your car tyres, your boiler and your blood? What about eye pressure though? Did you know that it is pressure which keeps the eye inflated, and if its too high it can lead to irreversible damage to the optic nerve leading to loss of vision.

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Glaucoma is known as the silent thief of sight for a good reason, as the brain fills in the missing parts of vision and it isnt until there is significant sight loss that a person thinks to visit an optometrist who can help to detect what is happening.

This is too late for glaucoma as a significant amount of vision can be lost, and once lost it cannot be recovered.

However, if detected early, it can be managed and useful sight can be maintained for years to come.

Although ten per cent of people with glaucoma who receive proper treatment still experience loss of vision.

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The IGA recommends everyone has regular check-ups with an optician every two years, or one to two years if youre over 40.

They will look at the appearance of the optic nerve, measure the pressure in the eye with an air puff test and check the field of vision.

A recent study found it may be possible to predict glaucoma in this way up to ten years in advance.

Most sufferers are treated with eye drops which they should then take for the rest of their lives.

While they should be safe to drive for many years, they may need to tell the DVLA about their condition.

Read more from the original source:
Glaucoma symptoms: Struggling with PATCHY eyesight could mean YOU'RE undiagnosed - Express.co.uk

This entry was posted on May 7, 2017 at 2:46 pm and is filed under Eye Sight & Vision. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |