FROG Week Three steps to prevent blindness. Glaucoma is one of the biggest causes of blindness in the country. In recent years there have been vast improvements in the methods of detection and treatment, and glaucoma need no longer lead to blindness. Local optometrist Andrew Millington explains "June 14th to 20th 1999 is National FROG Week. Frog is the logo of the International Glaucoma Association and represents For the Relief Of Glaucoma. They are trying to make people more aware of the risk and prevention of glaucoma." Glaucoma affects 2 in 100 of all people aged 40 or over and is 6 times more common in those who have a close relative who already suffers from the condition. Glaucoma is a loss of vision caused by an increase in pressure within the eye. Unfortunately in the early stages when it is easiest to treat glaucoma it causes no symptoms. Usually the increase in pressure is very gradual so there is no sudden loss of vision ad there is no pain. The eye itself does not even appear red or unusual. The loss of vision is in the periphery at first and can eventually lead to tunnel vision. This is a very nasty way to lose your vision, imagine how difficult it is to cross the road if you cannot see to the sides, and makes people very nervous about going out. "It is good to know that this condition is treatable but the secret of success lies in early detection" Mr Millington continued "There are three painless tests to asses the risk of glaucoma and these are normally carried out as part of a routine eye examination. One looks for damage to the nerves, the next actually measures the pressure, either by putting a small drop into the eye and then using a blue light and a spot of colour or by blowing a small puff of air at the eye. The last test actually checks the sensitivity of the vision by using some small flashing lights in the peripheral vision." Everyone over 40 should have an eye examination and glaucoma check every two years. If you parents or brothers or sisters had glaucoma this should be every year and because of the increased risk the NHS will pay for the test for these people. Glaucoma Fact Sheet Glaucoma is responsible for 13% of all people registered blind in Britain. The unfortunate fact is that most of these registrations could have been prevented if treatment had been started early enough. Glaucoma is defined as an increase of pressure in the eyes. The eye is full of a fluid which is being made and refreshed all the time. If there is a blockage in the drainage channel the pressure in the fluid will increase. Unfortunately this can lead to damage of the sensitive nerves responsible for vision which in turn can lead to blindness. The good news is that treatment if started early enough can control this increase in pressure and so prevent blindness. The key issue is to detect the early signs of glaucoma at a stage when it can be treated successfully. Glaucoma affects about 2 in 100 of all people aged 40 or over. Alarmingly this increases with age so that the risk is 4.3 in 100 aged 80 or over. The likelihood of glaucoma developing is also increased by six times in those with an immediate relative who already suffers from glaucoma. The vision loss in glaucoma affects the peripheral vision first. It is this part of the vision that stops you bumping into things and the first thing that people notice is that they seem more clumsy or bump into people or doorframes. Unfortunately a lot of older people put this down to normal changes with age. The International Glaucoma Association whose logo is FROG ( For Relief Of Glaucoma and For Research On Glaucoma) has an annual FROG Week to raise peoples awareness of the seriousness of glaucoma. The International Glaucoma Association can be contacted at: IGA. Kings College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London. SE5 9RS Back to the top