Today is the last day of Glaucoma Awareness Week 2023, a fantastic iniative ran by Glaucoma UK, a charity supporting those with the condition.
For this year's Glaucoma Awareness Week, Glaucoma UK has produced a patient-led campaign where their beneficiaries discuss their diagnosis of glaucoma and the impact the disease has on them. The charity is also hopeful that this campaign will help raise awareness of both glaucoma and the importance of eye tests.
On their dedicated webpage to Glaucoma Awareness Week, the charity explained:
"Our main goal is to highlight the diverse experiences people have with glaucoma. But we’re eager to understand various aspects, including how people perceive the disease, people’s pathway to diagnosis, and everyday life with glaucoma.
By sharing these stories, we aim to raise awareness and foster a better understanding of this condition. We also hope that it sparks conversations and discussions. The key call to action for our campaign is for everyone to attend regular eye tests and prioritise their eye health."
The campaigns and research produced by Glaucoma UK are critical; at present, over 700,000 people in the UK have glaucoma. Yet shockingly, half of these people do not know they have it. All too often glaucoma does not have any symptoms; this is why it is also known as the silent eye disease. However, despite the lack of symptoms, glaucoma can be spotted through routine eye tests at high street opticians. If the optician does have any concerns, they are able to make arrangements for early intervention, which is crucial to prevent sight loss.
So, what is glaucoma?
Glaucoma is an umbrella term for eye diseases which cause damage to the optic nerve. The optic nerve is responsible for transferring visual information from the eye to the brain. When the nerve becomes damaged, sight loss can occur.
Damage to the optic nerve is caused by high pressure; high pressure in the eye is typically caused by a restriction to the flow of fluid that sits within the eye.
The only way to know if you have glaucoma, or to check on the health of your eye, is to visit the optician, or if you have one, your ophthalmologist.
It is recommended that, everyone - including those with no sight difficulties at all - go for an eye test every two years as a minimum. If you wear a prescription, or have any conditions that impact your eyes, more regular tests may be encouraged.
Although most cases of glaucoma are symptomless, some people find that they do experience symptoms. These include; pain, halos or coloured rings around light sources, discomfort in the eye, red eyes, misty vision and sickness. If any of these symptons occur, please seek help from your optician as soon as possible.
Sight loss caused by glaucoma is irreparable. This is why Glaucoma UK wants to focus on detecting the disease early, and then managing it through treatment (lusually eye drops) to prevent blindness.
To truly demonstrate just how important this message is, Glaucoma UK has created the following four, poster style images that detail individual experiences with Glaucoma.
Helen writes of her glaucoma experience: “my glaucoma has been my constant companion for 20 years but doesn’t stop me hiking, gardening, travelling or cooking.”
Frances explains her diagnosis: “my glaucoma was diagnosed by my optometrist at a routine eye check, and before any damage had occurred in my eyes. I have been very lucky”.
Roy shares his story and promotes the importance of eye tests: "my glaucoma came to light as a result of a routine eye test by an optician. So get your eyes tested regularly!"
Finally, Rachel’s story is told: “my glaucoma gave me a real shock; it wasn’t something that ran in my family & I wasn’t aware of being at risk. My optician raised it during a routine eye exam; I’m so glad it was spotted early.”
These stories not only describe how critical routine eye tests are, but also showcase that with early intervention, sight loss can be managed.
So, if you haven't had an eye test in a while, I won't grill you on why that is, but leave a final word of encouragement (just in case you've missed the message of this blog entirely!): get your eyes tested - it could save your sight.
If you, or someone you know is impacted by glaucoma, please reach out to Glaucoma UK for support using the following details:
Helpline: 01233 648170
Monday - Friday; 9.30am - 5.00pm