Doctors urge exams to detect glaucoma

By Ayana Jones
Tribune Staff Writer

A movement is underway to educate the community about the effects of a serious eye disease.

Glaucoma refers to a group of diseases that kills nerve cells in the back of the eye. The most prevalent forms of the disease include open-angle and closed-angle glaucoma. If left unchecked, the disease could lead to blindness. Since it typically starts without causing symptoms, many people do not seek treatment until they experience loss of vision. The Glaucoma Service Foundation for the Prevention of Blindness (GSF), a charitable organization based at Wills Eye Hospital, is steadily working to educate people about the disease.

“While glaucoma is not curable, it is preventable, and you don’t need to go blind from glaucoma,” said GSF Executive Director Nancy Petrongalo.

“With the current treatments that we have available right now, it’s very rare that anybody should have to go blind from glaucoma. There are treatments, it’s just that people aren’t getting the treatments early enough, so its very important that we get the word out so that we detect glaucoma sooner.”

According to the GSF, some three million Americans have glaucoma, and experts estimate that half of those are unaware of it. While it affects people of all ethnicities and ages, glaucoma has been billed as the second leading cause of blindness in the African-American community. African Americans are more likely to develop the disease at an earlier age than their Caucasian counterparts. Medical researchers do not know why the condition seems to develop faster in African Americans than in the rest of the population.

Because the disease often progresses without symptoms or pain, there has been a major push for early detection. The disease is generally detected through a dilated eye exam. Petronglo suggests that people be vigilant about getting their eyes checked for glaucoma.

“You want to actually ask the doctor, are you checking my pressure and are you checking my optic nerve,” Petronglao said.

Depending on the type of glaucoma, the disease is treated with prescription eye drops or surgery to lower the pressure in the eye and prevent further damage.

For those who are diagnosed with glaucoma, Petronglao says it is important they adhere to their medicine regimen. She said some people believe they don’t have to keep using their eye drops because they haven’t experienced any changes to their vision. However, she stressed that the medicine serves to preserve eyesight.

Risk factors for the disease include age, family history of glaucoma and nearsightedness. Symptoms such as difficulty focusing on near or distant objects, change in color of the iris, red-rimmed, encrusted or swollen lids and double vision can indicate the need for a thorough examination by an eye doctor.

In addition to educational and community screening initiatives, the foundation supports research efforts by the physicians at Wills Eye Hospital. Petrongalo said research is currently underway to detect the disease earlier, provide better treatment methods and develop better surgical techniques. The foundation’s Web site – www.wills-glaucoma.org – serves as an educational resource.

Meanwhile, due to the high prevalence of the disease in the African-American community, Pfizer’s Ophthalmics Division has launched an educational campaign titled “Glaucoma and You.” Last Saturday, Pfizer partnered with Mt. Tabor AME Church in Philadelphia to educate community members about eye health, give complimentary vision screenings and show an educational video.

A recent study published in the January issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology suggests that delaying the progression of glaucoma to later stages is associated with lower cost of care. According to the study, the disease costs the U.S. health-care system an estimated $2.5 billion annually.

Article from January 31, 2006 Philadelphia Tribune

Copyright © 2006 by The Philadelphia Tribune, Co.