Have you ever heard of glaucoma? It is a chronic eye disease which affects 3% of Belgians. Nicknamed the “sight thief”, it is the second leading cause of blindness in the world. The best weapon to preserve your eyes: screening.
“In the family, do you have glaucoma?”this is the question posed by a specialist to Rafal, who came to consult. “A priori, no. I have no knowledge of family history. But we still spotted too much tension”he replies.
High blood pressure in the eye can be a warning signal. This is why Rafal has his sight checked every year. He knows he may be prone to glaucoma. “Yes, I would still like to see my children’s faces, when my daughters are 30 or even 40 years old. We have the reflex to go to the dentist for dental problems at least once a year. But the Belgians don’t really have the same reflex to have their eyes checked”explains the spokesperson for EQLA, a Belgian association which acts on a daily basis with and for blind and visually impaired people.
Glaucoma is a disease that attacks the optic nerve, destroying it and causing blindness. 250,000 to 300,000 people would be affected in Belgium. “We underestimate because the problem is that it is a disease where you don’t feel anything. So the patients are not in pain. And when they have symptoms, often it’s already too much late. Hence the importance of screening… It is generally recommended from the age of 40, perhaps even more so when you have a history in the family”underlines Sabrina De Greef, ophthalmologist.
An insidious illness that has turned Lucie’s daily life upside down. “Seeing is a big word. But I see what I can still see. I have a tenth left”, explains Lucy.
The diagnosis falls for the right eye at the age of 20. Lucie loses this eye at 22. 6 years later, the left eye is affected. With today a tubular view. Lucie sees as through a tube. “It’s just centralized. And the fact that it’s central is that it’s only the part in front of me that I see. But when someone passes by me, I don’t see it. “continues the young woman of 30 years.
There is no cure for glaucoma. You can only slow down its progression, especially with lifelong drops. Hence the importance of screening.