Smartphone may help in early detection of glaucoma — Ophthalmologist

The Group Managing Director of Eleta Eye Institute, Dr Benedictus Ajayi, says that smart phones may help in carrying out eye tests for early warning signs of glaucoma, the leading cause of irreversible blindness in Nigeria.

Ajayi, a consultant ophthalmologist, stated this in an interview with newsmen on Wednesday in Ibadan.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ajayi spoke on the sideline of the just- concluded World Glaucoma Week, 2021, with the theme: “The World is Bright, Save your Sight”.

He described glaucoma as an eye disease often associated with elevated intraocular pressure through which damage to the eye optic nerve could lead to loss of vision and permanent blindness.

Ajayi said that permanent blindness from glaucoma could be prevented with early detection and appropriate treatment.

“Glaucoma is usually a disease of age, meaning that as you progress in age, the probability that you will have glaucoma is high.

“Usually, you find it more among people from age 50 and above, but in our society, we have a good number of patients who are below 40 with glaucoma.

“This means that about 20 per cent of our glaucoma patients are 40 years and below, and so we cannot ignore the young people.

“For this reason, we believe that everyone, including the young and the old, should have regular eye examination,” he said.

The physician, however, expressed the hope that patients could soon scan their eyes easily for early signs of the disease with smartphones from their homes.

According to him, “Things are coming up and very soon, we hope to work with Partners for Sight Foundation, where people can easily scan their eyes for early warning signs of glaucoma with mobile devices from the comfort of their homes.

“While at home, accurate diagnosis is not possible but this will help detect increasing intraocular pressure and signal that something is wrong,” he said.

The opthalmologist said that in most glaucoma cases, the symptoms might be minimal or unnoticed for years until permanent blindness occurred.

Ajayi emphasised the need for regular examinations, beginning from age 40, adding that most glaucoma cases were undiagnosed until there was vision loss.

“What makes glaucoma dangerous is that vision acuity is the last to disappear, while the other symptoms may go unnoticed for years.

“I have seen people who are seeing very well but after proper eye examination, it is discovered thatthey have glaucoma.

“It is not everybody who sees very well that has a normal eye, but everybody who is not seeing well has an abnormal eye.

“It is also very important for people below the age of 40 to have their eyes checked yearly, even if their vision is normal, because we are also seeing cases of glaucoma in people below the age of 40.

“It is important to see an eye care professional for early detection of glaucoma.

“Permanent vision loss from glaucoma can be prevented with early intervention and treatment,” he said. (NAN)