Early Sightings

A disquietingly large number of people are unfamiliar with the 8216;8216;silent thief of the night8217;8217;, as glaucoma is colloquiall...

A disquietingly large number of people are unfamiliar with the 8216;8216;silent thief of the night8217;8217;, as glaucoma is colloquially termed. Caused by the obstruction of the outflow level of water from the eye, which contributes to a rise in eye pressure, glaucoma can go unnoticed for a long time. But early diagnosis is our only chance against it, say specialists.

What is glaucoma?
Glaucoma is commonly called kala motiya to differentiate it from the more common safed motia or cataract. 8216;8216;The best simile for it is a drainage system that consists of both inflow of aqueous humor water of the eye and its outflow. Normally, nature maintains an exquisite balance between the two, keeping the pressure inside the eye at a constant level. The commonest cause of this disease is obstruction at the outflow level due to a number of reasons that ultimately leads to increased eye pressure,8217;8217; explains Dr K P S Malik, Head of Department, Ophthalmology, Safdarjung Hospital. 8216;8216;The increased pressure adversely affects the health of the eye, the nerve fibres and the optic nerve most prominently,8217;8217; adds Dr Vinay Garodia of Visitech Eye Hospital.

What are the symptoms?
Dr Rohit Saxena, Ex Senior Registrar, R P Centre, AIIMS, and glaucoma specialist, describes glaucoma as 8216;8216;the result of age-related change in persons predisposed8217;8217;. What is especially worrying about it is the fact that some of its symptoms like ocular headaches, rapid change in near glasses, eye aches and peri-eye aches are so common that one tends to ignore them.

However, there is one variant of glaucoma that does present severe headaches, coloured haloes around sources of light, most noticeably bulbs, and sudden loss of vision along with redness and watering. But this symptomalogy is relatively uncommon. And only very observant patients may notice progressive reduction in the 8216;field of vision8217; peripheral vision ultimately leading to total loss of vision if left untreated.

Who is at risk for glaucoma?
According to Dr Kirti Singh, Associate Professor, Glaucoma Unit, Maulana Azad Medical College,8216;8216;The disease is known to run in families and the risk of having it increases five times if you are above the age of 40 and have a blood relative suffering from glaucoma.8217;8217; For everyone above 40, doctors prescribe regular eye check-ups, which includes checking eye pressure and retinal examination seeing the inner part of the eye adjacent to the nerve. If required, the doctor will order field testing, where the capacity of the person to view peripheral objects in the field of gaze without moving their head is tested. In young adults, the disease generally surfaces because of the unhealthy practice of self-prescription. Drugs like corticosteroids, which are a boon to quacks because they give instant relief, are the common causes for preventable glaucoma among young adults if used carelessly and without supervision, cautions Dr Singh.

What is the cure?
Medicines and surgery are both successful but both have their pros and cons. 8216;8216;Medicines both expensive and cheap are easily available. They carry side-effects and the compliance rate in many patients is poor,8217;8217; says Dr Malik. Surgery, however, has a chance of failure.

Does glaucoma lead to blindness?
Doctors say there is no cause for panic on this count. Whatever stage it is detected, treatment will arrest the disease. It is not necessary that if you are suffering from glaucoma you will go blind, says Dr Saxena. But the bad news is that the condition is not reversible. The vision lost due to glaucoma cannot be recovered by any means of therapy, says Dr Garodia.

Story continues below this ad

Does it mean endless visits to the doctor?
No and yes. There is no one-time cure for the disease but glaucoma management can be tailored to suit each patient8217;s individual needs. Surgery or no, patients cannot be lax in their follow-up. Initially the number of visits may be more, and slowly the duration and frequency may decline but a patient must continue seeking the doctor8217;s advice. 8216;8216;This is not to frighten patients but to ask them to be careful,8217;8217; emphasises Dr Saxena.

What is the cost of medication?
Medicines costing Rs 100 to Rs 150 a month are all patients need on an average. In case a patient is not responding to common drugs, newer medicines costing between Rs 2000-3000 per month are required. Surgery costs between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000.