Glaucoma account for 16% Blindness in Nigeria. Says Opthalmologist.
Consultant Opthalmologist Professor Abdul Mahdi
By Ishaq Hardawa
A Consultant Opthalmologist with Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital Bauchi Professor Abdul Mahdi has advocated for regular Eye Screening to contain the prevalence of Glaucoma disease.
Professor Abdul Mahdi give the indication in an Interview with our Reporter in Bauchi.
An Opthalmologist explain that Glaucoma disease is the leading common cause of irreversible blindness all over the world due to high pressure that damage optic nerve.
” Glaucoma is a disease that cause blindness in individual by causing damage to the Optic Nerve.
The Optic Nerve Carries Visual Message from the Eye to the Brain and this damage occured as a result of increase in pressure in the Eye and becouse of the damage Impulses can not pass from the Eye to the brain and so causes someone to go Blind”
He said the disease can only be manage when diagnose at the early stage and treatment instituted.
Professor Mahdi emphasis that Glaucoma don’t show symptoms untill when vision started decreasing.
” The earliest Symptoms that many people see is the decrease in vision, it usually occur when the Peripheral field of Vision begins to go, like normally now as I am sitting down looking at you. I am aware of things that are to my side but in people with Glaucoma they begin to loose that ability to see the peripheral of their Vision by the time the come Usually the Vision is far advancing in failing “
An Opthalmologist said people who are at risk of Glaucoma disease include those with first degree relatives who lost their vision due to the disease, people who are fourty years and above, people who got injured in their Eyes.
Others are people who has refractive errors, Chronic disease among others.
The Renowned Opthalmologist advice people to go for Eye screening at least twice a year.
“We started low key Programme within the Hospital, we are inviting people who are at the risk, so any individual who has first degree relatives that has Glaucoma please come to our Hospital we will screen you for free and if we find that you are eligible for some of the type of treatment we have, we have Laser treatment if you are eligible we will offer you Free,
the Screening is on Tuesdays and Fridays”
Professor Abdul Mahdi caution the use of traditional medicine on any Eye related ailments doing that can lead to more damages to the Eye and eventually cause Blindness.
