World Glaucoma Week was held this year from March 7 to 13, 2021 and aims to raise awareness of glaucoma, an eye condition that causes destruction of the optic nerve.
The third leading cause of blindness in the world, glaucoma is a serious and irreversible eye disease. Many people around the world have glaucoma, but most are unaware of it. In fact, the early stages of the disease are often not accompanied by any symptoms.
As part of World Glaucoma Week, Iprosarude (Initiative for Rural Health Promotion and Development) would like to remind you to take care of your eyes by having an eye exam at your optometrist.
In addition, Iprosarude is raising awareness by holding free screening days for this disease in its clinics Espoir de Kayanza, Clinique Espoir de Gitega, Clinique Espoir de Mwaro and Kayogoro.
According to Dr. Adrien Bironkwa, a specialist in Ophthalmology, glaucoma is an eye disease that damages the optic nerve by increasing the pressure in the eyeball. This pressure results from an accumulation of aqueous humor, a liquid produced by the eye, which obstructs the lymphatic drainage channels. Nerve damage causes gradual and irrecoverable vision loss. Unfortunately, glaucoma often goes unnoticed.
Glaucoma remains asymptomatic for a long time. This eye disease is often noticed only at a late stage because the loss of central vision occurs only at an advanced stage. The damage to the optic nerve and the loss of vision that this causes are unfortunately irreversible. If detected at an early stage, glaucoma can now be stabilized and blindness avoided, thanks to the progress made in ophthalmology.
“There are two forms of glaucoma: open-angle glaucoma and angle-closure glaucoma. Open-angle glaucoma is the most common form, while angle-closure glaucoma occurs suddenly and is accompanied by pain. Added Dr. Adrien.
What are the risks?
According to Dr. Adrien, anyone can get glaucoma, but there are certain factors that contribute to its development: high intraocular pressure, high blood pressure, family history, smoking, age (over 40), previous eye infections and high myopia. Myopia increases the risk of developing eye diseases such as glaucoma by 14 times. As a precaution, it is best to consult an optometrist at least once a year to have an eye exam.
How to preserve your vision?
For Dr. Adrien, although there are promising advances to cure glaucoma, such as the use of stem cells or an ocular implant to reduce the pressure in the eye, prevention is still the best treatment to date. During an eye exam, the optometrist can perform the necessary tests to detect glaucoma and prevent any ocular damage.
Healthy lifestyle habits are also important to reduce the risk of developing glaucoma, such as adopting a balanced diet, practicing sports regularly or quitting smoking.
It is reported that glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in people over 60 years of age in the world. Early diagnosis and treatment are necessary to fight against blindness
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