Family History - information is vital
Lilian Connolly, a retired nurse from Co. Kildare, describes how passing information about glaucoma down through her family has helped identify the condition early to prevent sight loss.
While most of us are lucky if we remember to take the multi vitamins that are sitting on the counter every day before we rush out of the house, others have a strict routine that must be followed. For people with glaucoma, the daily routine of eye drops that prevent the condition's progression is unmissable, as Lilian Connolly describes.
"I take one set of drops in the morning, another one in the evening and a different one again at night. It's a bit of a nuisance but it's absolutely necessary and I wouldn't dream of missing them," says Lilian, who was diagnosed with Ocular Hypertension 15 years ago.
"My father had glaucoma so I was very aware of it. Unfortunately for him, it was discovered late. He had an operation on one eye but it wasn't successful so he took drops for the other eye. I mentioned his condition to my optician when I was getting an eye test and she performed a test which showed high levels of pressure in my eyes. I was sent to the Eye and Ear hospital, where I had a lot of tests and was eventualy put on eye drops."
At first Lilian took only two sets of drops but as the condition has developed, another one has been added to ensure that her eyesight is not affected. "My sight isn't affected at all. I'm shortsighted and I wear glasses but glaucoma hasn't damaged my vision."
Having seen her father struggle to put in his drops and manage the condition, Lilian was worried when she was first diagnosed. "I was taken aback when they told me I had glaucoma. I wasn't surprised, because of the family history, but I was disappointed. However, I think I was lucky because it was diagnosed when I was in my early 50s so I'm well used to taking the drops now and it's no problem. My father was older when he discovered he had it and by then it was difficult for him to manage the medication on his own," according to Lilian.
The one thing that Lilian is grateful for is the knowledge that now exists in her family about glaucoma. "After I was diagnosed my younger sister went for tests and she was actually worse than me. She had surgery to try to unblock the drainage in her eye to improve the pressure levels and she's able to manage the condition too. We make sure to pass the information to our own children and in fact my nephew is borderline and my niece has high pressure as well."
"There is a real family history there so we're all aware of it. It seems to affect our family in their 30s - that's when the pressure starts to increase. By catching it early, it's easier to manage it and to make sure that it's monitored. I have the pressure checked in my eyes every six months and I have a field of vision test every year. So far, glaucoma hasn't had any affect on my sight. While the drops are a bit of a nuisance and they sting, I take them religiously because I know they're working and the alternative isn't very appealing," explains Lilian.