Free glaucoma testing conducted by SAGS in Mamelodi

Prof Pollo Roux (President of the South African Glaucoma Society and leading academic opthalmologist), Tim Borland (Marketing Manager: Glaucoma at Alcon Laboratories), Letty Mabena (Clinical Services Co-ordinator: Eye Care Division of the South African National Council for the Blind) and Opthalmologist in training Charl Weitz.

“Glaucoma, which refers to a group of disorders that leads to damage of the optic nerve and is associated with increased eye pressure, is a devastating eye disease that affects around 5 to 7% of the black population, and 3 to 5 % of the white population in South Africa. It is estimated that about 200 000 people in South Africa are currently affected,” says Dr. Ellen Ancker, executive member of the South African Glaucoma Society (SAGS) and an ophthalmologist from Cape Town. The total number of suspected cases of glaucoma at around 66 million worldwide. Glaucoma is the only eye disease classified as a chronic disease, amongst the legislated 25 chronic diseases. It is one of the leading causes of blindness in South Africa.

Glaucoma gradually causes blindness without warning4. It is a disease that receives very little attention and the South African population are largely ignorant thereof. To mark the first ever World Glaucoma Day, leading eye care company, Alcon Laboratories, in association with the South African Glaucoma Society, shares the facts on glaucoma.

Because glaucoma is a progressive disease causing irreversible visual loss, usually without warning until relatively advanced and because 50% of affected people in the developed world (up to 90% in developing countries) do not know that they have the disease and are therefore not on treatment, community awareness needs to be significantly increased. This includes awareness of the disease and of the need to have regular eye checks, thereby permitting earlier detection and avoidance of what should be a preventable visual disability1.

Vision loss in a glaucoma patient is caused by damage to the optic nerve. This nerve acts like an electric cable with over a million wires. It is responsible for carrying images to the brain4. According to the World Health Organisation, glaucoma, if left untreated, is the second leading cause of blindness in the world.

High-risk groups include black people, people over 60 years of age, family members of those already diagnosed, diabetic patients and people who are severely nearsighted.

Although older people are at a higher risk, babies can be born with glaucoma (approximately 1 out of every 10 000 babies born in the US are affected)3. Young adults can get glaucoma too. In South Africa, glaucoma is far more prevalent in the black community.

As yet, there is no cure for glaucoma and vision lost cannot be regained. Early detection and diagnosis may result in the condition being medicated or surgically operated on, which may halt further loss of vision. Unfortunately approximately 10% of people with glaucoma who receive proper treatment still experience loss of vision. Glaucoma is a chronic condition and must be monitored for life.

Glaucoma is often referred to as the “silent thief of sight,” because most types typically cause no pain and produce no symptoms. For this reason, glaucoma often progresses undetected until the optic nerve has already been irreversibly damaged, with varying degrees of permanent vision loss4.

A survey done for the American Glaucoma Research Foundation found that blindness is ranked third, after cancer and heart disease, as a disease of disability which people most fear.

Glaucoma damage to sight is irreversible, but treatment is usually effective in preventing further damage. The earlier the treatment, the more sight can be preserved. The goal of glaucoma treatment is the preservation of visual function and quality of life, with minimum or no side effects and minimal disruption to the patient.

It is vitally important that South Africans are aware of the prevalence of glaucoma and the devastating effect it has on vision. According to the Ophthalmology Society of South Africa, every South African should visit their ophthalmologist or optometrist (one specially trained in glaucoma detection) every two to four years after the age of 40 and every one to two years after the age of 55. If there are any risk factors for developing glaucoma (such as blood relatives with glaucoma, short-sightedness, diabetes and black ancestry) then anyone 35 years and older should have a thorough glaucoma check every one to two years.

This is the ultimate Goal of the World Glaucoma Day: To enhance global glaucoma awareness through a variety of traditional and novel communication strategies and events1. The South African Glaucoma Society hosted free glaucoma screening at Mamelodi Hospital in Pretoria on 6 March. Patient leaflets and posters about glaucoma were also be distributed nationally prior to World Glaucoma Day.

The South African Glaucoma Society urges South Africans, especially those over 40 years of age, to have regular eye checks and to speak to their physician or ophthalmologist if they are worried about their risk for glaucoma.

Additional information about World Glaucoma Day can be found at www.sags.co.za or www.wgday.net/