Louis Cantor, an Indiana University glaucoma research professor, answers questions from Fidelia Risk, 70, of Muncie, Indiana at a follow-up exam the day after she had glaucoma surgery on her right eye. Photo: Danese Kenon, The Indianapolis Star WASHINGTON DC (USA Today),
November 4, 2007:
It is called the "sneak thief of sight" for a reason: Years pass before patients notice vision loss — an absence of symptoms while damage is done and sight is stolen with no way to get it back.
Glaucoma, the leading cause of preventable blindness, is an eye disease that silently causes vision loss by damaging the optic nerve, the main cable from the eye to the brain that gives people sight.
And if the forecasters are right, the level of vision lost to glaucoma among Americans is about to get much worse.
Glaucoma already affects 67 million people worldwide, but that number is projected to hit 80 million by 2020, says Harry Quigley, professor of ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins University Wilmer Eye Institute in Baltimore.
"The disease increases exponentially with age," Quigley says. "It's not that the disease is getting worse, it's that people are living longer and are more likely to develop the disease."
Baby boomers, he says, will help drive the increase.
Several studies also have linked glaucoma to diabetes. However, Quigley says the association is often very weak, and although some diabetics have glaucoma, the risk factor is often secondary to age, family history and racial background.
Eye disease is a common complication for diabetics, but most often, they suffer from diabetic retinopathy, which involves progressive damage to the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.
Prevent Blindness America estimates that more than 3 million people in the USA have glaucoma, and only half of those know it.
In a recent survey commissioned by the Lions Club, nearly 75% of surveyed glaucoma patients were not aware that their vision loss was a result of glaucoma before being told by their doctors.
Although blindness is Americans' third-biggest fear, behind cancer and heart disease, results of the survey show a lack of eyesight education for patients and a disconnect between patients and caregivers of those with the disease: 80% of glaucoma caregivers do not rank the disease high on their list of health concerns.
"The Lions Club survey underscores that there is a need for a greater dialogue to understand glaucoma," says Lions Club International Foundation spokeswoman Nicole Brown.
To that end, the foundation provided grant funding to the All Eyes on the Family program, which hosted glaucoma screenings across the USA over the summer.
Dilated eye tests and visual field tests detect glaucoma and should be a part of routine eye screenings every three years, says Louis Cantor, professor of glaucoma research at Indiana University.
"People will get their teeth cleaned every six months but only get their eyes checked every 10 years," he says. "It is important to get screened because the earlier the diagnosis, the better possible outcome."
Elevated eye pressure is the primary risk factor for glaucoma, but Cantor says the disease is much more complicated. Several groups are at higher risk for glaucoma, including the elderly, people with a family history of the disease and members of ethnic minorities.
Once a family member is diagnosed, Quigley recommends that the immediate family get tested as well, so if glaucoma is detected, treatment can begin.
The only known treatment is to lower eye pressure, usually with prescription eye drops, but the disease can occur in people with normal pressure, too.
Tish McQueen of Knoxville, Tenn., was diagnosed with primary open angle glaucoma, the most common form, just one month shy of her 27th birthday.
Although there is little damage to her optic nerve, she takes Xalatan in both eyes and Trusopt in her right (she has higher pressure in her right eye than her left) to stop the disease from progressing.
As a glaucoma patient, McQueen, now 35, stresses the importance of proper eye health care and eyesight education.
"Eyesight is one of the most valuable gifts we have," she says. "By being educated on eye health and by having routine eye exams, we can ensure that that gift will last for a lifetime."
In July, McQueen and her blogging buddy Mike Wheeler, 32, participated in Blogathon 2007, during which they wrote at least every 30 minutes for 24 hours straight, raising a few hundred dollars for their favorite charity, The Glaucoma Foundation.
Throughout the contest, McQueen and Wheeler reviewed other blogs, educated readers about glaucoma and featured interviews with fellow bloggers.
Wheeler, of Cortland, N.Y., tag-teamed with McQueen on their website, BlogsWeLuv.
"I think (The Glaucoma Foundation) is a very worthy cause. I couldn't imagine going through life without the ability to see," says Wheeler.
"It's one of those things that I think people take for granted until it's too late."
By Erin Evans
Copyright 2007 USA TODAY
