Regular eye examinations are the best way to detect the first signs of glaucoma

2024-01-04 20:44:01, Shëndeti CNA

An Australian patient who was shocked to be diagnosed with glaucoma aged 40 is encouraging others to get their eyes checked regularly even if they think they have no vision problems. Glaucoma damages the optic nerve in the eye, can impair vision and cause blindness. Glaucoma Australia is also campaigning to raise awareness of the disease.

Shannon Davis was 43 years old when she made her first visit to the eye doctor. At that time he thought his eyes were in very good condition.

"I don't need glasses, so my eyes must be healthy. How can they not be healthy? They are in very good condition'. Not much time passed in the test, when the doctor asked me to call my wife, so that she would also be informed about my condition".

Davis, a father of two, was shocked to learn he had end-stage glaucoma in both eyes. So he was legally blind.

"I was completely shocked because I could see the diagnosis, when she was telling me the extent of the eye damage," says Mr Davis.

A person with glaucoma gradually experiences loss of nerve cells in the eye. This disease is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness in the world.

There is no cure for the disease and tests cannot predict who is likely to get it.

"Often people with glaucoma first realize they have eye problems when they renew their driver's license because during the test they can't see the side signals," explains ophthalmologist Noor Ali.

Through treatments to lower the high pressure in the eye, vision loss can be slowed if glaucoma is diagnosed in its early stages.

With the help of these measures, Mr. Davis has retained his remaining eyesight.

"The left eye has been damaged quite badly, to the extent that it is not possible to restore sight. So really, the central part of the right eye is doing all the work."

Now, Mr Davis is urging Australians of all ages to get their eyes checked. Even the organization "Glaucoma Australia" is doing a campaign to make people aware of the disease.

"Avoid the consequences of a serious diagnosis. Go and get your eyes tested, because it could save your sight," says the president of Glaucoma Australia, Maree O'Brien./ VOA