Dr Zakia Al Ansari, Glaucoma Consultant at Hamad General Hospital’s Ophthalmology Department
Doha: Early detection is the key to slowing the progression of glaucoma, a group of diseases that is a leading cause of vision loss and blindness, according to an expert.
“To prevent blindness or a significant loss of vision due to glaucoma, we are advising people at risk to ensure that they have their eyes checked once in a year or at least every two years,” said Dr Zakia Al Ansari, Glaucoma Consultant at Hamad General Hospital’s Ophthalmology Department.
“Risk factors for glaucoma include, being over 40 years of age; having a family history of glaucoma; being of African, Hispanic, or Asian heritage; having diabetes; a history of elevated eye pressure; a decrease in corneal thickness and rigidity; being nearsighted; or having a previous eye injury,” she said while speaking to media persons yesterday.
Glaucoma is an eye disorder which results in progressive damage to the optic nerve, the part of the eye that carries visual information from the retina to the brain. The condition has no known cause but is often associated with a buildup of pressure inside the eye.
More than 400 patients with glaucoma are treated at HMC’s Ophthalmology Department each month.
There has been an increase in the number of new cases diagnosed in recent years, noting that last year 27 new cases were diagnosed from the approximately 600 people screened, compared to only three new diagnoses in 2017 from over 500 people screened.
“A timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment are key to preventing blindness or a significant loss of vision due to glaucoma. Glaucoma medication, or surgical treatment when necessary, can prevent damage to the optic nerve by slowing the progression of the disease through reducing the elevated eye pressure often present in glaucoma. However, in rare cases, even patients who have what is considered to be within the normal range of eye pressure can develop the disease. This means many people could be slowly losing their eyesight without being aware they have glaucoma,” said Dr Al Ansari.
Each March, HMC holds free glaucoma screenings and conducts public awareness sessions to highlight World Glaucoma Week, being held this year from march 11 to 17. According to Dr Al Ansari, the week provides an opportunity to draw attention to a disease that often has no obvious warning signs and to encourage people to undergo a comprehensive eye examination.
To mark this year’s World Glaucoma Week HMC will hold free glaucoma screenings and public awareness sessions at Souq Waqif in Wakra. Staff from the Ophthalmology Department will provide free eye examinations and educate the public about glaucoma.
