World Glaucoma Week
March 10-16, 2019
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.
We need your help in making World Glaucoma Weeks successful and creating greater glaucoma awareness, so please:

Involve your glaucoma patients as you Organize a screening event in your local institute/hospital
Give a lecture to a patient support group
Participate in radio &; TV shows to talk about glaucoma and to answer questions,
Contact newspapers to publish information about glaucoma.
More details about World Glaucoma Week and many examples of glaucoma awareness activities around the world are to be found on the WGW website.

GLAUCOMA

What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a group of disorders characterized by a progressive optic nerve damage, resulting in irreversible visual field defect that are associated frequently but not invariably with raised intraocular pressure.
All neural disc tissue is destroyed.
Disc is white and deeply excavated.
What’s the importance?
It is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide!
It is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide after cataract.
What causes Glaucoma?
Predisposing and risk factors include:
1. Age – more commonly seen in elderly over decade.
2. Race – more severe in black than whites.
3. Short sighted- myopic – more predisposed than the normal population.
4. Diabetics.
5. Cigarette smoking.
6. High blood pressure – more common in hypertensive than the normotensive.

Presentation
Unfortunately, the commonest type (POAG) does not present with symptoms till very late in the disease process. The symptoms include cloudy vision and reduction in visual field such that the patient bumps into objects and trips over obstacles in their path.
Other types of glaucoma could present with pain and redness in addition to visual loss.
Patient may experience mild headache and eye ache.
Patient usually complain of frequent change in presbyopic glasses.

Treatment
There is no cure.
The aim of treatment is to lower intraocular pressure to a level where (further) visual loss does not occur.
The management thus require careful and regular supervision by an ophthalmologist.
The initial treatment is medical with the use of eye drops such as beta blockers , sympathomimetic, miotIcs and prostaglandin analogues.
However surgery is also an option.
Our role
Understand that Glaucoma is a major cause of eye diseases so be alert to detect it.
Proper screening of all patients: especially those above 40yrs.
Check VA PROPERLY AND CAREFULLY!
Check pupillary response.
Check optic disc.
Proper councelling of there patient as to disease process and use of varicose treatment options.


Courtesy:
ST.MARY’S CATHOLIC EYE HOSPITAL
Ijebu-Ode Annex
Bobagunte House, OGD Housing Estate, Adefisan Junction, Molode, Ijebu-Ode
www.stmaryscatholiceyehospital.com.ng;
info@stmaryscatholiceyehospital.com.ng;
08032944068