Our country joins the World Glaucoma Association and the World Glaucoma Patient Association in the observance of the Third World Glaucoma Day Friday.

The World Glaucoma Day was launched three years ago to educate the public and those at risk of glaucoma on its detection, prevention, and treatment. Glaucoma, the world’s second leading cause of blindness, affects approximately 4 percent of the world’s population and 50 percent of glaucoma
cases remain undiagnosed.

Glaucoma is an eye disease that causes irreversible blindness. It causes progressive damage of the optic nerve at the point where it leaves the eye to carry visual information to the brain. Most glaucoma progresses without any warning or obvious symptoms. Although anyone can develop glaucoma, some people are at higher risk than others due to race, age, family history, and high intraocular pressure. Other factors that increase the risk of glaucoma include smoking, sleep apnea, extended use of steroids, myopia, and previous eye surgery. Diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, and migraine are also risk factors.

There are two major forms of glaucoma: Acute and chronic. Acute glaucoma happens when the drainage canals in the eye becomes blocked or covered. The symptoms include abrupt onset of headache and pain around the eye and face, nausea and vomiting, impaired vision, rainbow-colored haloes around lights, and sudden loss of vision.

Chronic glaucoma, on the other hand, happens when the drainage canals in the eyes are blocked gradually. Symptoms are teary, aching eye, blurred vision, occasional headaches, and progressive loss of sight.

There are also several types of glaucoma – open-angle glaucoma, low-tension or normal-tension glaucoma, angle-closure glaucoma, and childhood glaucoma.

Glaucoma is not curable but it is treatable.

Treatment may include medications and surgery. Early detection is essential to prevent visual impairment and vision loss.