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Blindness Prevention Programme: Article on Major Causes of Blindness

by admin on | 2024-03-07 14:55:37

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MAJOR CAUSES OF BLINDNESS IN NIGERIA

Blindness does not only mean complete loss of sight but also includes those who cannot see properly from a distance of 3 meters and therefore cannot manage their day-to-day activities on their own. Sight preservation is therefore the responsibility of everyone in the community and requires a committed effort from the sighted, the visually impaired and the blind. Blindness has many causes just as it could be reversible or irreversible. Globally, 39 million people are blind from various causes and this number is made up mostly of people living in developing countries. The major causes of blindness in Nigeria are Cataract, Glaucoma, Trachoma, cornea opacity, and uncorrected refractive errors. Most of the blindness resulting from these causes can be prevented if detected early. This writes up will look at some aspects of one of the causes of blindness in Nigeria.

In Nigeria, more than one Million (1,000,000) persons are blind and half of this number live in the North East and North West. One of the major causes of blindness is Glaucoma. Glaucoma is actually a syndrome of many diseases, which leads to irreversible form of blindness. It is a common fact that Glaucoma, often times does not have any symptom and so the patient has no knowledge that he or she has the disease. This allows the disease to progress for a long time unattended to until it gets to the point where blindness ensues and nothing can be done to reverse the condition. This accounts for the reason why Glaucoma is called the “Silent thief of sight”.

The cause of glaucoma is not clearly understood or known, but it is generally attributed to an increase in the Intra-ocular Pressure amongst other factors. The intra-ocular pressure (IOP) is the pressure within the eye that keeps the eye in shape and helps to maintain the structure of the globe, and the pressure has a range that is considered normal. Any increase above the range can cause a build up of pressure. The IOP is maintained by the balanced production and drainage of aqueous humour in the eye. If the production outweighs the drainage, then pressure can build up which will eventually lead to a damage of the nerve bundles that transmit information from the eyes to the brain. If there are not enough nerve cells to transmit information to the brain, blindness will be the outcome.

Because glaucoma has no symptoms, it is only a visit to the Doctor that can determine whether a person has glaucoma or not. During the visit, the doctor can look out for some signs to assess if there is Glaucoma and confirm the type of glaucoma present. In the management of glaucoma, the type and the duration of the disease will determine the management option to adopt.

However, treatment for glaucoma does not reverse the damage that already exists but it is only meant to mitigate further damage to the eye in question. It is also important to point out that glaucoma usually begins in one eye and can progress to the second eye after a while. The treatment for glaucoma is with the use of drugs that help to either reduce or slow down the production of aqueous humour or speed up the drainage of the aqueous humour. This will help to ensure that the pressure is maintained at equilibrium. If, however, the use of drugs does not achieve the desired pressure, then surgery can be initiated. There is a school of thought in the management of glaucoma that posits that surgery should be initiated once glaucoma is confirmed but this is not the general trend as surgery is usually a last resort when other means of treatment have failed. The use of drugs for the management of glaucoma requires that the patient pays regular visits to the doctor for monitoring of the IOP and assessment of other parameters. Early detection of glaucoma can help to prevent vision loss.

Making diagnosis for glaucoma by Doctor (Optometrist or Ophthalmologist) requires that he accesses the IOP, the Optic disc head and visual fields properly so as to determine the status of the disease which will ultimately help the Doctor to institute a management plan. However, it is important to stress that Glaucoma has a tendency to run on the family, which therefore makes it imperative that every member of the family (especially those who are 35 years old and above) where a diagnosis of glaucoma has been made visits the doctor for a routine eye examination.

The danger posed by glaucoma is so severe that the World Health Organisation has dedicated one week in March of every year to draw attention to Glaucoma. Let’s all play our part to kick out glaucoma from our world. Visit your Eye Doctor Today for a comprehensive eye check.

 

Lion (Dr) Ozy Okonokhua

Optometrist and District Committee Chairperson

Sight awareness and Preservation

Lions District 404A2 Nigeria.