Early detection key to good vision

This World Glaucoma Week we would like to remind our readers of the importance of regular eye checks.

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of avoidable blindness in Australia, but early detection can help halt the damage to you vision.

“Glaucoma is a disease that often can be undetected, if you don't go for an eye test,” said Eyecare Orange optometrist Louisa Tan.

Glaucoma does not present any noticeable symptoms in the early stages of the disease, said Louisa. But if left untreated, it leads to progressive and permanent damage to your vision.

“At the very late stage of the disease, it can get to where people will notice, but at the beginning stages of it — which is the best time to actually treat it — it is not detectable by the person,” said Louisa.

“There is no cure, but what we can do is use treatment to slow down the progression of Glaucoma so that it doesn't get to the very end stage where blindness is the end result.”

But if Glaucoma is detected and treated early, the outlook it good.

“When detected early it is usually very good, we can preserve their vision for years from the point of diagnosis early, but when it is late there's not much we can do,” she said.

And the best way to detect Glaucoma early is to get regular eye tests.

“That’s why we always recommend that you get checked out regularly every two years,” said Louisa. Although anyone with a history of glaucoma in the family may need more frequent testing,

“Nine in 10 Australians say that sight is most valued sense for them, but one in three Australians don't remember having their eyes tested over the last two or three years, so that is an alarmingly large number,” said Louisa.

Book your glaucoma test today!