THE CYPRUS Ophthalmological Society yesterday launched its free glaucoma-screening examinations programme.
The five-day campaign aims to better inform the public on the gravity of this disease – which is a preventable cause of blindness – and to improve patients’ quality of life, its President Dr Panicos Philippou told the Cyprus Mail.
Glaucoma is caused when the optic nerve is damaged. In most cases, increased pressure in the eye is a risk factor for this damage.
“The front of the eye is filled with a liquid called the aqueous humour, which is produced by the eye to bathe and nourish it. The aqueous humour normally flows out of the eye through various paths and chambers. If these become blocked or the drainage is insufficient, the fluid is trapped in the eye, causing pressure to build up,” he said.
The damage to the optic nerve causes loss of peripheral vision. As the disease worsens, the field of vision gradually narrows and blindness can result. Because glaucoma has no early warning signs, many may be unaware they have the disease until it has progressed to an advanced stage. Once the advanced stage is achieved, vision that is lost cannot be regained.
Two per cent of Cypriots over the age of 40 are affected by glaucoma, with 90 per cent of patients suffering from chronic ‘open-angle’ glaucoma. Although treatable, glaucoma is responsible for 25 per cent of the world’s blind population, said Philippou.
However, early detection based on a comprehensive eye exam can usually control the disease and prevent serious vision loss, he said.
“We decided to offer free examinations this week because we realised that people were going blind unnecessarily. So we decided to better inform people and launch an awareness campaign. The free examinations will be offered at any ophthalmologist of a patient’s choice until Friday and offered free of charge,” he said.
The five-minute glaucoma-screening test is painless and involves measuring the intraoccular pressure of the eye. If pressure is diagnosed, more tests will be carried out to assess the patient’s visual fields, followed by an optic nerve analysis, said Philippou.
If a practitioner diagnoses glaucoma, patients will be treated with eye-drops. If this does not work, laser and surgery are also options.
High-risk glaucoma patients should be particularly conscientious about being screened. These include people with a family history of glaucoma, those who are extremely nearsighted, diabetes sufferers, people who have had a previous eye injury, those with a medical record of severe anaemia or shock, long-term use of cortisone-based steroids and people with cataracts.
