GLAUCOMA affects 300,000 Australians, with 50 per cent of people unaware they have the disease.
From March 6 to 12, the World Glaucoma Week campaign will run, where support networks around the world work together to raise awareness of the eye disease.
The campaign urges Australians to have their eyes checked by an optometrist every two years to prevent the irreversible damage caused by untreated glaucoma.
According to the World Glaucoma Week website, Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness worldwide.
Glaucoma is the name given to a group of eye diseases where vision is lost due to damage to the optic nerve.
It is known as the “sneak thief of sight”, as the disease develops slowly and often without symptoms.
A considerable amount of peripheral, or side vision may be lost before the patient was aware of any problem.
Swan Hill Optical optometrist Jenalle Pye said within the eye there was a fluid that was constantly produced called the aqueous humour.
“This fluid provides nourishment, removes waste products and helps maintain the shape of the eye,” she said.
“The fluid then leaves the eye through a drainage angle called the anterior chamber. When there is damage or structural changes to the drainage angle, the rate of fluid drained is less than the rate of production.”
Jenalle said the resultant build up of fluid increased the pressure within the eye.
“Glaucoma usually develops when there is an increase in pressure in the eye,” she said.
“The elevated eye pressure causes progressive damage to the optic nerve, which in turn causes changes to peripheral vision.
Jenalle said unfortunately there is no straight forward cure for glaucoma, with the vision loss associated being irreversible.
“However once detected, glaucoma can usually be controlled so that further loss of sight can be prevented or slowed,” she said.
She said treatment included eyed drops, laser treatment and surgery, or a combination of the three.
Jenalle said people with a first-degree relative who has glaucoma have a one in four chance of developing glaucoma in their lifetime, with the risk increasing to 56 per cent if the relative has advanced glaucoma.
“Other risk factors include being aged over 50, diabetes, short or long sightedness, a previous history of eye injury and being of Indigenous, African or Asian ethnicity,” Jenalle said.
The team of optometrists at Swan Hill and Kerang Optical are well trained in detecting and monitoring glaucoma.
Using the latest in technology, they work closely with ophthalmologists from Bendigo and Melbourne to co-manage local glaucoma patients.
Eye health is at the forefront of their consulting ethos and all patients are screened for any number of diseases during a comprehensive eye examinations, regardless of their age.
“Nine out of 10 Australians value their eyesight above any other sense, yet as many as one in three Australians cannot recall an eye test in the past two years,” Jenalle said.
“If this is you, make an appointment today with your optometrist.”
For more information or to make an appointment, call Swan Hill or Kerang Optical or book online.
