Following rising concerns over sudden blindness, the Nigerian Optometric Association, NOA, Anambra State chapter has offered free medical eye tests to mark week.

The association said they also held public lectures for people of Anambra at which they described glaucoma as a silent eye thief.

The free eye check and public lectures, which was held at Iyienu Mission Hospital, Ogidi, Idemili North was part of activities to mark the 2019 World Glaucoma Week with theme: “Focus on Glaucoma.”

In a speech, Chigozie Umeh, the chairman, NOA Anambra State chapter, described glaucoma as a loss of sight because of intraocular pressure at the eyes, saying that it could only be detected through eye test.

“When the intraocular pressure of the eye is high, it can damage the back of the eye called the optic nerve head, which does not give any information to the person that is glaucomatic.

“Dr Umeh said that 90 percent of persons with glaucoma were not aware while about 50 percent have gone blind in one eye before they were diagnosed of glaucoma.’’

He said the essence of the public lecture for eye doctors and patients was aimed at training and informing participants on new trends with regards to prevention and treatment of glaucoma.

In a lecture, Chidiebere Ugo Ezeanowai, who represented, Felix Olafisoye, the grand mentor of Family of Optometric Mentors, FOM, classified Acute Angle Closure, Chronic Angle and Low Tension glaucoma into Primary and Secondary causes.

Olafisoye, said that irrespective of age, hereditary or traumatic issues, primary glaucoma was painless and could result without any particular known cause while secondary glaucoma could be as a result of accidents/trauma or adverse drug effects.

He said that glaucoma was a disease commonly found among people of African dissent (Blacks) and occurs mainly between 35 to 40 years stressing that Hypertensive and Diabetic patients were prone to glaucoma.

Olafisoye urged optometrists to avoid prescribing combination drugs to patients, saying that they should start with stand alone or one class of drugs.

“Be professional, be an optometrist with a difference. Always start treatment with monotherapy/stand alone drugs.

“Combination should be when there is no significant improvement in the patient’s eye,’’ he said.

Emmanuel Mbamalu and Wilson Umeano, the secretary and publicity secretary NOA, respectively in separate speeches urged people to visit the eye clinics for proper tests regularly.

They said that glaucoma was a silent thief of sight stressing, that increase in cases of blindness necessitated the FOM Workshop to keep the eye doctors abreast of new developments in fighting glaucoma.

“Locally Glaucoma is silent thief of the sight. Oftentimes it doesn’t have symptoms. We urge people to go for eye tests at least once yearly before it causes irreversible damage,” Mbamalu said.

“There are things as a doctor one must know and not leave out in order to help reduce the percentage of people who go blind as a result of glaucoma saying that many people benefited from the free test at their clinics,’’ Umeano said.

– Mar. 18, 2019 @11:35 GMT |