Glaucoma A Growing Risk
Newcastle Herald
Tuesday July 9, 2002
GLAUCOMA Awar-ness Week will run from July 21 to 27, providing valuable awareness of this serious and chronic eye disease that if left undetected and untreated can cause blindness.
Seniors are particularly at high risk of developing this condition.
At age 40 one person in 200 has glaucoma and at age 80 one in 12.
Some people have a higher risk than others. Damage progresses very slowly and destroys vision slowly, starting with loss of side vision.
Treatment cannot recover what vision has been lost.
For this reason it is important to detect the problem as early as possible, and to start the treatment to minimise the loss of vision.
Those with a higher risk are those with:
* A family history of glaucoma;
* Diabetes;
* Migraine;
* Short sightedness;
Eye injuries;
Blood pressure; and
* Past or present use of cortisone.
If you are one of these groups you should have regular tests after the age of 35.
For other people it is recommended that they have an eye check for glaucoma by the age of 40.
Regular eye examinations are the best way to check.
Although there is no cure for glaucoma, it can usually be controlled and further loss of sight prevented or slowed down.
Treatments include eye drops, laser treatment and surgery.
If you would like more information, phone us at the Seniors Information Service between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday for a brochure or/and a poster.
© 2002 Newcastle Herald