In conjunction with World Glaucoma Week, we are urging everybody to get their eyes examined to guard against this chronic life-long disease.
Managing Director, Jeremy Heynes has spoken out ahead of World Glaucoma Week taking place from March 10 to March 16, to help raise awareness of a condition that is the leading cause of blindness worldwide.
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve and lead to vision loss over time. It is caused by an increase in pressure within the eye, which can damage the delicate nerve fibres that transmit visual information from the eye to the brain. If left untreated, glaucoma can cause irreversible vision loss and even blindness.
"Glaucoma is a life-long, chronic disease that cannot be cured. Any sight lost due to glaucoma cannot be regained. But the good news is, with effective medical treatment, the damage can be slowed or even stopped in its tracks.
Glaucoma was once a disease that would almost certainly lead to blindness. Huge advances in diagnosis, monitoring and treatment now mean that, in the UK, the vast majority of people with glaucoma will keep useful sight for life.
However, it’s vital we diagnose it early to give the patient the best possible care. That is why we are using World Glaucoma Week to urge everyone to get their eyes examined so we can screen for any eye condition that could potentially be damaging to your health."
- Jeremy Heynes FBDO
Glaucoma is a widespread condition, affecting an estimated 80 million people worldwide. In England, about 500,000 people have chronic open-angle glaucoma but there will be many more unaware they have the condition. This is because glaucoma often has no symptoms in its early stages, which is why regular eye exams are so important.
Anyone can develop glaucoma but there are several risk factors which make glaucoma more likely.
Primary open angle glaucoma becomes more common with age. It’s fairly rare below age 40, but rises from about two in 100 over the age of 40 to more than one in 20 for those aged 80+.
We offer Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) at all stores. This is an in depth scan which looks at the layers of the back of the eye. OCT can pick up changes to eye health very early on, including changes caused by glaucoma. Book in for an eye examination here.
