World Sight Day: Public awareness can curb down blindness due to Glaucoma explains Dr Mahipal Singh Sachdev

The second Thursday of October is celebrated as the World Sight Day annually which aims to spread awareness about avoidable blindness and vision impairment. The WHO's theme this year is #HopeInSight which focuses on eliminating avoidable visual impairments. So, on this day, Dr Mahipal Singh Sachdev, Chairman of Centre For Sight Group of Hospitals, explains how public awareness can curb down the rate of blindness from Glaucoma.

With changing lifestyle patterns and excessive usage of digital screens by people of all age brackets, there is an exponential increase in the number of patients suffering from mild to severe vision problems which are preventable or treatable. Cataract is considered to be the number 1 cause of blindness globally, which is preventable as well as treatable. While Glaucoma on the other hand cannot be cured completely but the damage caused on the optic nerve can be halted or slowed. With a huge burden of vision impairment in India, there is an immediate need to take preventive measures on an urgent basis.

According to WHO, around 30 crore people suffer from partial vision impairment and blindness globally, out of which 85 percent are from the developing countries, which is alarming. Pertaining to these stats, developing countries being the epicentre of visually impaired population, WHO this year has decided to shift its focus towards them. While there is a major contribution from India, most of which are preventable, yet the burden of blindness is not shrinking but rising steadily. If devoid of timely action and no additional resources are mobilised urgently to deal with this criticality, it is also estimated that these figures will double by 2025.

World Sight Day 2020: How to prevent Glaucoma?

The silent thief- Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a condition wherein an increased intraocular pressure damages the optic nerve thereby affecting vision. A fluid known as aqueous nourishes the front part of the eye. In the normal eye, the rate of production of aqueous matches the rate of its drainage, thereby maintaining optimal pressure inside the eye. With age, disease, trauma or other factors, the channels carrying this fluid may get blocked, increasing the pressure inside the eye. This increased pressure damages the optic nerve, which is the conduit of visual messages to the brain. Working silently, glaucoma damages the outer or peripheral vision first while maintaining the central vision.

Glaucoma is called the silent thief of sight because in the early stages of the disease, there may be no symptoms. This condition threatens vision and is known to gradually steal sight without warning. By the time glaucoma is detected, the patient has already suffered extensive peripheral vision damage which can no longer be restored. 

Types and Statistics

There are two major types of glaucoma– 

Chronic or Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma– This, being the most common form, has a gradual impact on the vision and is usually painless. 

Closed or Acute Angle-Closure Glaucoma– Due to sudden and severe blockage of the fluid drainage within the eye, the intraocular pressure shoots up sharply with persistent symptoms appearing immediately. If timely measures are not taken for the management of this condition, this may quickly convert into irreversible vision loss. 

While it is estimated that around 70 percent of the Indian population is susceptible to the disease and at least 2 lakh Indians go blind every year, most of them due to lack of awareness. The major risk factors for the development of glaucoma include – age greater than 45 years, hereditary factors, co-morbidities like diabetes, hypertension, pre-existing eye conditions like myopia, or due to ocular trauma.

Management of Glaucoma

Spreading awareness among the masses about the vision problems is the only way towards prevention and early detection of eye diseases to ensure healthy vision. With revolutionary changes in technology, it is easy to prevent the loss of vision by tackling the major causes of blindness like glaucoma, cataract and diabetic retinopathy.

Glaucoma treatment may include medical management, surgical management or management by lasers. Medical management is done with eye drops. Surgical management includes a procedure where an opening is made to create a new drainage pathway for the fluid to leave the eye easily. Management by lasers includes procedures such as trabeculoplasty, in which a laser is used to pull open the trabecular meshwork drainage area; iridotomy, in which a tiny hole is made in the iris, allowing the fluid to flow more freely; and cyclophotocoagulation, in which a laser beam treats areas of the ciliary body, reducing the production of fluid.

Timely detection and treatment are crucial because vision loss by glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy can be prevented but not cured. Early detection for both these diseases is the key to sight preservation so regular eye check-up is a must.

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