Healthy Living explores the silent blinder
It is commonly believed that eye problems are associated with identifiable symptom. When it becomes difficult to see, then something must be wrong. Healthy living looks takes a deeper look at glaucoma.
Marleni Cuellar reporting
It is referred to as the ‘silent blinder.’ It robs you of your vision slowly and most often goes undiagnosed until the damage is done. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world. Unlike cataract, which may be remedied with surgery, the damage caused by glaucoma is irrevocable.
Dr. Freddy Nicholson, Optometrist, B.C.V.I.
“The problem with the eye is that you can be normal but you can feel like you are normal but that does not necessarily mean so. Every person has to have a checkup once a year even if the person is normal and feel normal.”
Freddy Nicholson is one of he optometrists who works with the Belize Council for the Visually Impaired. He conducts the primary clinics, detecting problems and possible diseases in the eyes of his clients. One of the problems he notes in patients who have glaucoma is that they often seek treatment when it may be too late.
Marleni Cuellar
“And when the people come in it’s because there is already a problem or it’s in its beginning phase?”
Freddy Nicholson, Optometrist, B.C.V.I.
“It’s already a problem and lamentably we can’t do nothing. If we could do something its small. I’d say about every ten patients that I see about two or three.”
Marleni Cuellar
“And they’re already at the stage of blindness?”
Freddy Nicholson
“Yes, yes.”
Marleni Cuellar
“So people with glaucoma come in when it’s almost too late.”
Freddy Nicholson
“Yes, yes.”
Dr. Baxter McLendon is one of the volunteer ophthalmologists at the BCVI. He explains the science behind glaucoma.
Dr. Baxter McLendon, Ophthalmologist
“Glaucoma is actually too much pressure inside the eye. There is a normal pressure in the eye. Normal range is about eight to twenty-one millimeters of mercury but if the pressure in the eye goes up that’s glaucoma and that can cause damage to the back of the eye to the optic nerve.”
It is commonly perceived that this pressure is linked to hypertension or high blood pressure. But Dr. McLendon explains how the accumulation of pressure in the eye is caused.
Dr. Baxter McLendon
“There’s a lot of reasons that can happen. There’s a small little eye flow channel that the aqueous fluid made in the eye normally; if that fluid has a problem getting out of the eye the pressure can build up. An example I sometimes tell patients is if you have water coming into the kitchen sink and the kitchen sink, the eye flow, the pipe, get stopped up the water blows up in the sink. It’s kinda like that with glaucoma. If that aqueous fluid made in the eye has a problem for whatever reason of getting out of the eye draining out of the eye. The pressure builds up.”
“There are two types of glaucoma. The most common type is what we call chronic open angle glaucoma and the filtration angle open but the pressure still goes up. With the acute-angle closure glaucoma there is an increase in the pressure, some pain in the eye and loss of vision. But that is extremely uncommon. That’s probably like getting struck by lightening; it’s really rare.”
The chronic open angle glaucoma is the most common type of glaucoma and with no symptoms in the early phases, most people don’t get diagnosed until the glaucoma is advanced and the damage is irreversible.
Dr. Baxter McLendon
“The only way you really going to diagnose glaucoma early is to really have an eye examination; have someone look at your eyes, check the pressure of your eyes, not your blood pressure but the pressure in the eyes and also dilate the pupil and look at the back of the eyes. People do not have to lose vision because of glaucoma. If you can make the diagnosis early and we can start people on appropriate eye drops then you can prevent more damage from the glaucoma. All the drops we use are to simply reduce the intraocular pressure. To reduce the pressure and therefore you reduce having more damage to the back of the eye.”
Through the work of the B.C.V.I. getting diagnosed and possible treatments are much more accessible than you would imagine.
Carla Ayres Musa, Communications Officer, B.CV.I.
“We have clinics all over the country so if you can get in touch with our main clinic in Belize City, they can refer you to the appropriate clinic and you just go in, get your eyes tested. It’s free and they’ll let you know if you need glasses, they’ll let you know if you need to see an ophthalmologist or if you do have glaucoma or cataract or anything like that. So it’s very accessible.”
Dr. Baxter McLendon
“I would encourage everybody over the age of forty, certainly forty-five to get their eyes checked. Make the effort even if you think I’m okay, I don’t have any eye problems because you can have early glaucoma and not know it. That’s the problem with glaucoma.”
Like most other diseases, there are specific risk factors that may make some more prone to developing the disease than others.
Dr. Baxter McLendon
“One, is as you get older you’re more likely to have glaucoma. People in their sixties are much more likely to have glaucoma than people in their forties. If there is a family history of glaucoma, and I always ask that. And then, as I said, people who have ancestors originally from Africa; those people, that’s a risk factor as compared to people whose ancestors came from Europe. Those are the three main risk factors. If you have diabetes you’re a little bit more at risk for having glaucoma but the three is as you get older, if you have family history of glaucoma and also if your ancestors originally came from Africa.”
As in most cases prevention is better, especially when there is no cure. Glaucoma may not be remedied but it can be controlled. But remember you must get your eyes checked yearly to be able to prevent any irreversible damage.
Carla Ayres Musa
“There’s really no reason that anybody should suffer from an eye problem because we are accessible just come into our clinics, you can call the number in the book or you can call 203-5206 and someone can set you up with an appointment. And we can take care of your from the first stage all the way through to the end.”
