The Disease That Threatens Darkness
Newcastle Herald
Monday September 6, 1999
A SILENT eye disease was gradually robbing Betty Bowditch of her sight.
When she was in her early fifties the Belmont woman learned she had glaucoma, a disease that slowly damages the optic nerve.
A regular eye test alerted Mrs Bowditch to the problem, which tends to have no obvious symptoms.
`I was devastated - the only time I had heard about glaucoma was when someone had lost their sight,' she said.
But the good news for Mrs Bowditch, now 71, was that eye drops and surgery have stopped the disease progressing.
However, the news is not so good for everyone who contracts the eye disease.
Although more than 300,000 people have glaucoma in Australia, almost half do not know they have the disease.
It is vital that the disease is discovered as soon as possible, as the condition can destroy the optic nerve.
Glaucoma Australia national executive officer Beverley Lindsell said regular eye tests were the best weapon against the eye disease.
`Most people who are diagnosed with glaucoma can be treated effectively and maintain useful vision all their lives,' she said.
Almost anyone can get glaucoma, yet few people were aware of the dangers of glaucoma.
People with a family history of the disease, or of diabetes, migraine, short-sightedness and blood pressure have a higher risk.
People in these groups should have their first eye check no later than at age 35.
There is also a Newcastle support group for people with the condition, which will meet at Gallipoli House, Hamilton, next Monday.
© 1999 Newcastle Herald