Glaucoma is often called the “silent thief of sight” because it can damage vision slowly without any noticeable symptoms in the early stages until it is too late.

The disease gradually destroys the optic nerve without giving any common eye symptoms like eye pain, obvious changes in vision (especially central vision), redness, or sensitivity to light. These factors combined make it such that by the time the person realises that he has glaucoma, advanced irreversible damage would have occurred. Many cases of glaucoma are discovered when the patient comes to the hospital for other eye conditions not necessarily related to glaucoma. Therefore, regular eye check by qualified eye care professionals is essential. Things that can be done during the eye test will include an assessment of what the person can see, measurement of eye pressure, and visual field testing.

Some people are likely to be at risk of having glaucoma and would benefit from routine eye checks for glaucoma. Such people include those with a family history of glaucoma, older people, people with previous eye injuries or surgeries, and people with other health conditions like diabetes and hypertension.

Glaucoma is the most common cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Once the optic nerve (that is the nerve responsible for vision) has been damaged by the disease, it cannot be reversed. There is no form of treatment yet that can reverse glaucoma damage.

Do not fall for online scams claiming glaucoma blindness can be reversed by this or that product. There are many fake online remedies claiming to cure glaucoma. That a product has many online reviews, or that it is expensive, or that it is imported is irrelevant. Glaucoma cannot be cured by any medications. The only treatments proven to stop glaucoma damage are the ones that reduce the pressure in the eyes. These treatments include eye drops, lasers, and surgeries. They can help to slow the progression of the disease and prevent further vision loss. It is far better to use proven treatments to preserve whatever vision is remaining than to use products that are making false claims and risk losing everything. It is therefore important to have regular eye examinations and monitor your eye pressure if you have glaucoma, since the lost vision cannot be brought back, it is better to detect it early when much vision has not been lost, so that you can retain your useful vision for the rest of your life. It is better to get screened, detect glaucoma early, and start treatment. That is the best way to preserve your vision.

Glaucoma is a group of diseases in which the optic nerve of the eye is damaged gradually over time leading to complete blindness eventually. To understand this properly we need to know about the optic nerve, and what it does. The optic nerve is the connection between the eye and the brain and it is responsible for carrying visual information from the eye to the brain for processing. The optic nerve is like an electric cable connecting the eyeball (electric bulb) to the brain (electric transformer). Glaucoma damages the eye's nerve cells or “wires” in the cable, disrupting the flow of visual information. A major cause of glaucoma is increased pressure within the eye. This pressure damages the optic nerve, much like excess pressure damages a delicate structure. So, glaucoma can be likened to a disease process that weakens the communication line between the eye and the brain. The work of the nerve is to help us see straight ahead and give us side vision, a peripheral field to our eyesight. When the tiny strands of the optic nerve fibres are progressively damaged just as the copper strands in an electric cable may get cut, the vision of an affected person starts reducing gradually, starting from the outside inwardly like in the pictures below.

Image Source: https://www.corkeyeclinic.ie/glaucoma-treatment

Damage to the nerve gradually causes side vision to be lost, and over time the central vision will be affected until everything is lost. Early detection and treatment are crucial for managing it effectively.

Do you know that glaucoma can affect babies? Glaucoma can affect anybody, at any age. It is not only a disease of old people, newborn babies, and young children of all ages can be affected. When it affects very tiny babies it’s not a silent disease like we have in adults. The babies have enlarged eyes, cannot look at bright lights, and their eyes are always bringing out tears.

In older children, glaucoma is just like what we have in adults, a silent, gradual problem that takes eyesight away eventually.

That means whatever your age, you need to check your eyes for glaucoma. Don’t wait until you are 40 years old. Get yourself checked, and get your children checked too.

If you have a family member, such as a parent or sibling, who has been diagnosed with glaucoma, your risk of developing the condition may be higher. Specifically, if one of your parents has glaucoma, your risk is estimated to be about 2-4 times higher than someone without a family history. Similarly, if you have a sibling with glaucoma, your risk is elevated 4 to 9 folds, even higher than if a parent is affected.

Recognizing Family History:

Knowing if you have a family history is essential for understanding your risk. You can identify a family history of glaucoma by asking your relatives if anyone has been diagnosed with the condition. It's important to gather information about immediate family members, such as parents and siblings, as well as grandparents and other blood relatives.

Signs of Serious Eye Problems:

• Severe vision loss, especially if it occurs suddenly or progressively worsens over time
• Persistent eye pain or discomfort, particularly if it's accompanied by headaches or nausea
• Changes in the appearance of the eyes, such as bulging, redness, or changes in pupil size
• Noticeable changes in central or peripheral vision

If you observe any of these signs in a family member, it's essential to encourage them to seek prompt medical attention from eye care professionals.

Although glaucoma is a progressive condition, it is treatable! Once glaucoma is detected, understand your treatment options to prevent any further vision loss. There’s no cure for glaucoma, but there are excellent treatments available, including eye drops, surgery, and lasers.

The treatment of glaucoma is to reduce the pressure inside the eyes, even when the pressure at diagnosis appears ‘normal’. The definition of ‘normal’ pressure varies from eye to eye - the target for each glaucoma patient is different. It has been shown that even for those glaucoma patients whose pressure is always normal, reducing the pressure in their eyes stops or significantly slows down the glaucoma damage.

The aim of glaucoma treatment is that, whatever vision you have at the time you see the eye doctor, that you can keep that remaining vision for life. Glaucoma treatment does not make vision clearer. But it maintains the remaining vision so that everything doesn’t go. That remaining vision is very precious, and we should do everything to preserve it. Don’t be discouraged and stop your treatment because your eyes are not getting better. Keep your eyes on the goal - this residual vision must not be lost!

Therefore, the best thing is to start treatment when the vision is still normal..

What is the visual field, and how does glaucoma affect it?

Our eyes can see above, below and to the sides of the straight-ahead position when one is looking straight ahead. This ability is referred to as the visual field. The outermost parts of the visual field are damaged first in glaucoma. The damage is very slow, and because it is peripheral, it doesn't interfere with the sharpness of central vision. So, one’s vision could be crystal clear centrally, while parts of the peripheral vision are already lost to glaucoma Good thing? The damage can be stopped by treatment. Bad thing? The damage is irreversible. Best to get it detected early, while the remaining visual field is still substantial. Glaucoma is indeed a thief of sight. Here’s how glaucoma sneaks up on people by gradually stealing the visual field. Just don’t let it get too advanced before you start treatment The affected person therefore does not know that there is any problem, because they can see clearly. Glaucoma damages the visual field gradually over the years, resulting eventually in blindness.

THE VISUAL FIELD

The visual field refers to the entire area that a person can see when they look straight ahead with one or both eyes focused on an object straight ahead and without moving their eyes or head. It includes everything in front of them and to the sides [peripheral vision]. Imagine looking at a scene in front of you: the visual field is the whole picture, from what you can see directly in front of you to the things you see out of the corner of your eye.

TYPES OF VISUAL FIELDS

1. Central vision: This is the part of your visual field that is straight ahead. It allows you to focus on details, like reading a book or recognizing someone’s face.

2. Peripheral vision: This is the area of your visual field to the sides, above, and below the central vision. It helps you detect motion and navigate your surroundings without having to turn your head.

The visual field can be assessed using the automated visual field testing machine that shows the extent an individual’s eyes can see and it is done one eye at a time. This machine can detect changes in a person’s visual field that can be associated with glaucoma, retinal diseases, or other neurological diseases.

In conclusion, the visual field popularly described as a hill of vision surrounded by a sea of darkness is essential in understanding how the eye sees and also in detecting any disease that may affect our sight.

The pressure within the eyes, known as the intraocular pressure (IOP) is an important measurement in the treatment of glaucoma.

Here are some important points you should know about your IOP:

1. Your IOP may be normal, and you still have glaucoma. The value varies at different times of day, so the times that some folks’ IOP are high are outside clinic hours. For some people, the IOP is never raised, and yet they still have glaucoma.

2. Your IOP could be very high, and you would have no symptoms, no pain, and no discomfort directly related to the IOP. This happens with the most common form of glaucoma in our environment, called primary open-angle glaucoma. What happens is that the rise in pressure happens very gradually, and the eye gets used to it. However, if the pressure were to become suddenly elevated, that would cause severe pain.

3. The treatment of glaucoma is to reduce the IOP, even when the pressure at diagnosis is ‘normal’. The definition of ‘normal’ IOP varies from eye to eye - the target for each glaucoma patient is different. It has been shown that even for those glaucoma patients whose pressure is always normal, reducing the pressure in their eyes stops or significantly slows down the glaucoma damage.

There is hope. For the adult rendered irreversibly blind, or severely visually impaired. From glaucoma, or other causes of permanent loss of vision

We see you. We try to imagine your world. That is now in darkness, or just foggy. Vision lost without a hope of its return. We are inspired by your courage. We see you going through life, making an effort, despite that this most precious of senses has been taken from you. We see your gratitude for small mercies, and we are encouraged to not take our blessings for granted. We see your relationships with the members of your family, how you are willing to ask for help, and the grace with which you accept the help available to you. You teach us that life is finite and that we should make our relationships our biggest treasure.

We want to tell you that while there is life, there is hope. Hope for you to have an improved quality of life. Hope for you to continue meaningful contributions to society. Hope for you to continue to enjoy the blessings of family and friends, the community that God has granted you. Hope for you to learn to live again, smile again, be useful again.

How to enhance the quality of life of someone blind from glaucoma

We have a large number of people who are blind, or severely visually impaired from glaucoma around us. The fact that their vision is limited doesn’t have to mean an end to their functioning. These people shouldn’t just exist, they should still enjoy their lives despite the challenge to their vision. Those of us related to them need to encourage them and support them to enhance their quality of life, as much as possible.

Keep your mind active. Audiobooks. Learn Braille. Listen to the news. Enjoy great music. Learn to use a phone despite your visual limitations. There are speech-to-text software, and text-to-speech software, that can help improve your quality of life. Keep your body active. You need to undergo orientation and mobility training to help you move with some independence, especially in familiar environments.Exercise. Engage in some gardening, rearing of livestock. Don’t lose your community. Call your friends. Go out, once in a while - whenever you can get someone to take you. Go to your place of worship. Don’t hide away - the community needs you.