Wallace Alward, MD, director of the UI Glaucoma Clinic, has these comments about glaucoma:
What is glaucoma and how does it affect a person's vision?
Too often people think of glaucoma as being a disease where there's too much pressure in the eye. Glaucoma is a disease where the optic nerve, the nerve that connects the eye and carries signals from the eye to the brain, can be damaged in a very characteristic way leading some side vision loss early on and then, if untreated, lead to full loss of vision.
How common is the disorder?
It's quite common; it becomes more common as we age. It's estimated that about 2 percent of people over the age of 40 have some form of glaucoma. It's the world's leading cause of irreversible blindness and the second leading cause in the United States.
Who is most susceptible to developing glaucoma?
Anyone can get glaucoma from birth on. The typical glaucoma patient tends to be older, so we begin to think about it when people get past age 40, and especially when people get past age 60. Age is a very major risk factor. People of African heritage are at more risk of developing glaucoma than other ethnic backgrounds. If there is a family history of glaucoma, that increases the risk. Another risk factor is having excess pressure in the eye but not really part of the disease itself.
Are there any warning signs for the disease that people should know about?
That's really a big problem with glaucoma-it's a very insidious disease. It sneaks up on people. I think a lot of older people, if they have poor vision, feel that they must just have cataracts like their neighbors. It's a difficult disease for people to recognize on their own. It's best diagnosed by having a very thorough eye exam that includes not just an eye-pressure check but a careful evaluation of the optic nerve.
When and how often should people be screened for glaucoma?
I think as one gets to be 40, it's good to have a thorough eye exam, not just looking for glaucoma, but for other diseases, and probably every few years until one gets in their late 50s or 60s, and then maybe every year having a good comprehensive eye exam would make good sense.
What treatments are available?
One of the really nice things about glaucoma is that if it's diagnosed, it's a very treatable disease The vast majority of people who have glaucoma will live normal lives with normal vision as long the disease is treated early. Typically, the best way that we have to control the disease is to treat people with a variety of drops that lower the eye pressure. If they're unable to use drops or the drops are ineffective, there are laser surgical procedures available. Occasionally we need to do surgery to build a new drainage system for the eye.
But it's a very treatable disease and if someone is diagnosed with glaucoma, they should feel optimistic that it's a disease they can get the upper hand on.
It sounds like the prognosis for somebody diagnosed with it is pretty good?
That's exactly right. It's a matter of being aware and getting diagnosed. Once people are diagnosed, we can usually do a good job of keeping them functioning well.
Are there research materials or resources available if somebody would like more information?
There are a lot of resources such as The American Glaucoma Society. and Glaucoma Foundation. Some of my partners here at The University of Iowa are working on a patient education site. |
