A consultant ophthalmologist, Dr Adegboyega Alabi, has said over 40 per cent of Nigerians have end-stage glaucoma without an inkling of the eye disease.
He said glaucoma is rampant among Nigerians, being what he called the “silent blinding disease” or the “sneak thief of sight”.
The consultant ophthalmologist noted that many sufferers are not aware of it because they do not go for regular eye screening, though the eye disease remains a leading cause of blindness, after cataract.
Alabi spoke in Lagos when he shed light on what his organisation, Mecure Eye Centre at Oshodi, was doing to reduce the disease as it joined the celebration of this year’s World Glaucoma Day (WGD).
On this year’s theme: Green = Go get your eyes tested for Glaucoma, Talabi said indigenous ophthalmologists know that the prevalence of glaucoma is grim and grave across the country, as it is the second most common cause of blindness worldwide.
He added: “It is estimated that 4.5 million persons, globally, are blind due to glaucoma. This number will rise to 11.2 million by 2020. It is noteworthy that due to the silent progression of the disease – at least in its early stages – up to 50 per cent of affected persons in the developed countries are not even aware of having it. This number may rise to 90 per cent in underdeveloped parts of the world. At the moment, Nigeria has over 40 per cent end-stage glaucoma cases.”
The consultant ophthalmologist said the scary prevalence spurred Mecure Eye Centre to offer free screening throughout this week and next week.
He said the centre is targeting about 200 participants to hopefully pick early enough “cases of glaucoma and treat them with 30 per cent discount”.
Talabi said the treatment will take place at Mecure Eye Centre’s community outreaches at Oshodi.
He said glaucoma appears after the fourth decade of life, adding that its frequency increases with age.
According to him, there is no clearly established difference in glaucoma among men and women.
Talabi said the most common types of adult-onset glaucoma in Nigeria are: Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG) – a form most frequently encountered in patients of Caucasian and African ancestry – and Angle-Closure Glaucoma (ACG), which is the more common in patients of Asian ancestry.
The consultant ophthalmologist said Angle-Closure Glaucoma is often chronic, like POAG, but can sometimes be acute, in which case it usually presents as a very painful ocular condition, leading to rapid vision loss.