Glaucoma week: Anambra Optometrists advise people to go for regular Eye check
By Uzo Ugwunze
The Nigeria Optometrist Association (NOA) Anambra State chapter has joined their counterparts nationwide to mark Glaucoma week by offering free glaucoma checks to the teaming unsuspecting public who may not be aware of the symptomless ailment that steals the sight of humans.
NOA also advised people especially from age 30 to go for regular eye check to enable glaucoma patients commence early treatment should the person discover glaucoma disease discouraging people from self medication and visiting patent medicine stores without doctor’s prescription.
According to the NOA Anambra State chapter Chairman, Dr. Chigozie Umeh, the theme of Glaucoma week 2023 is ‘World is Bright, Protect your Sight’. The essence of the program celebrated yearly, every second week in March is to create awareness so that people can go for glaucoma eye check because you cannot know actually when glaucoma is in your eye.
“Glaucoma is an increase of eye pressure just as people have high blood pressure. The eye pressure helps keep the eye in shape but when the pressure is in excess it presses the optic nerve head which transmits information from the eye to the brain and back for object recognition.
“Every eye Care practitioner is involved in explaining to people the need to go for a regular eye check at least twice a year to enable early discovery of glaucoma disease that can steal people’s sight without the person knowing.
“Glaucoma does not give signs or symptoms. You can only feel symptoms when glaucoma has advanced. The patient will start having tunnel vision, an absence of side or field vision. Glaucoma starts from one eye before stealing the second eye, that is why people do not detect it on time because it is painless and deceptive.
” To make matters worse some people will resort to self medication, visiting patent medicine stores without prescription from an eyecare professional to buy one eye drop or the other for treatment. Some even administer ‘Tangele or their urine in eye for treatment.
“One can visit the patent medicine store,chemist or pharmaceutical shop but that is after you know what you are suffering from and has a prescription not just because you have a blurred vision and you rush to buy any eye drop.
“Many things like cataract, refractive error like myopia, hyperopia and others can cause blurred vision. For the elderly and diabetic patient increase in blood sugar, hypertensive retinopathy can also cause blurred vision hence the need for regular eye check by an eyecare professional for proper diagnosis and treatment” Umeh said.
