Agency
One in four patients seen at the Eye Institute of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital has glaucoma, a Professor of Ophthalmology, Bola Adekoya, has revealed.
The Head, Ophthalmology Department, LASUTH, disclosed this on Tuesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos to commemorate World Glaucoma Week.
NAN reports that the week is celebrated globally from March 10 to 16 with the 2024 theme, ‘Uniting for a Glaucoma-Free World’, and is aimed at bringing communities worldwide to fight glaucoma.
Glaucoma is caused when pressure builds up inside the eye, damaging the optic nerve that connects the eye to the brain.
This can cause irreversible blindness if it is not timely treated.
The glaucoma specialist noted that the condition is the second leading cause of blindness in Nigeria with a prevalence of 16.7 per cent, second to cataracts.
According to her, the high prevalence of glaucoma is a public health concern that calls for an increased awareness of early screening, detection, and management.
The specialist emphasised that people of African descent are susceptible to glaucoma, while the disease is common among those above 40 years of age.
She added, “A lot of patients are not aware they have glaucoma till their eyes are screened because glaucoma is symptomless in the initial stage and people only experience poor vision when the disease has already affected the vision significantly.
“We can’t cure glaucoma but can prevent blindness from the disease through early detection and appropriate treatment.”
On treatment options for glaucoma, Adekoya highlighted medical, laser, and surgical treatment options aimed at lowering intra-ocular pressure and preventing further loss of vision.
She, however, said surgery is recommended as the primary treatment for glaucoma due to the challenges of affordability, availability, and compliance with continuous medical treatment.
The specialist, however, noted that despite the recommendation, the uptake of glaucoma surgery remained low in Nigeria.
She advised patients to carry out regular eye screening and comply with the use of their eye drops, emphasising that noncompliance could lead to the progression of the disease and vision loss.
The eye specialist recommended the prescription of locally produced generic eye drops, stressing that they are effective in reducing intra-ocular pressure and could help to address the high cost of eye drops.
She, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government to subsidise the cost of medicines, especially eye drops, to reduce the financial burden on patients with eye challenges.
(NAN)
