September 19, 2023 – A silent disease is on the rise amongst older people worldwide as thousands and thousands unknowingly struggle with glaucoma – a watch disease that could cause irreversible blindness but shows no obvious symptoms until the late stages of the disease, ophthalmologists warn.
It is predicted that by 2050 the variety of individuals with glaucoma will increase by greater than 200%, highlighting the urgent need for increased awareness, early detection and advanced treatment strategies.
““That’s a lot of people with a blinding disease who don’t know they have it,” he said Joel S. Schuman, MD, professor of ophthalmology and co-director of the glaucoma service at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. “In the late stages of the disease, people may notice that they are tripping over the curb or running into things they didn’t see. Only when the disease is very advanced do people notice that something is wrong.”
glaucoma is the second leading reason behind blindness worldwide, affecting three million people within the United States, and yet half of those affected are unaware, in keeping with the CDC.
Youngest Research on the University of Gothenburg in Sweden underscores the stealthy nature of glaucoma: 5% of 560 70-year-olds had the disease, and half of them didn't know they’d it before collaborating within the study.
“Living with glaucoma, especially without realizing it, can be very isolating,” said Lena Havstam Johansson, a doctoral student on the University of Gothenburg and a specialist nurse at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, who conducted the study. “It could lead to people staying home to avoid the hassle.”
Once symptoms appear, some may notice patchy blind spots of their peripheral vision and, in later stages, also of their central vision.
While many individuals assume that they’ll change into clumsier as they age, Schuman says they often have a condition that could be slowed down with the proper treatment.
Glaucoma occurs when there may be increased pressure in the attention, leading to damage to the optic nerve, which transmits information from the attention to the brain. If left untreated, this results in partial vision loss or complete blindness. In the early stages it often develops progressively and with none noticeable symptoms, earning it the nickname “the silent thief of vision”.
Although there are various kinds of the disease, roughly nine out of 10 people within the United States suffer from primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).
It occurs most frequently in people over 60, individuals with a family history of glaucoma, and other people with diabetes. Black individuals are disproportionately affected by this six times They are more likely than whites to experience advanced vision loss as a result of the disease.
It affects greater than 120,000 people within the United States blind from glaucomawhich accounts for 9 to 12% of all cases of blindness.
Glaucoma treatments range from eye drops to laser treatments to surgery, all geared toward reducing eye pressure. Some doctors recommend oral medications along with eye drops.
“We have a lot of treatment options and they work pretty well,” Schuman said. “But the first step is for the person to know they have glaucoma, and the second step is for the person to seek treatment.
Less common types of glaucoma These include normal-tension glaucoma, which occurs more commonly in people of Japanese descent, and congenital glaucoma, which occurs from birth and affects about one in 10,000 babies born in the United States
The best way to ensure early detection and treatment is with regular eye exams – every two to four years for adults under 55 and annually thereafter, Dr. Annie Wu, clinical assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Kellogg Eye Center at the University of Michigan.
The fact that glaucoma symptoms are slow to develop, coupled with the lack of access to eye doctors that many Americans face, make the disease even more dangerous.
The University of Pennsylvania is among those trying to change that. The Philadelphia school has been running free glaucoma screening programs for black residents. Black Americans are five to six times more likely to be diagnosed with glaucoma, according to the school.
There are a number of organizations that do this too provide access to free glaucoma screening.
Glaucoma test may be performed as part of a regular eye exam and may involve one test or a combination of tests that are relatively quick and painless. This includes dilating the pupil with eye drops to examine the optic nerve and measuring the thickness of the cornea to determine the risk of disease, which is higher with thin corneas.
“It's important not to wait for symptoms to appear – if glaucoma gets so bad that you notice it in your central field of vision, that means you've pretty much lost your entire peripheral field of vision,” Wu said. “Be sure to see an eye doctor, regardless of your family history.”