Australians in the dark about 'silent thief of sight'

There’s an eye disease taking hold of 300,000 Australians, with more than half going about their day-to-day lives without a diagnosis or the knowledge they are affected.

This World Glaucoma Week (10 – 16 March), the Australian Society of Ophthalmologists (ASO) is drawing attention to the eye disease, also known as the ‘silent thief of sight’.

Glaucoma is a condition where the eye’s optic nerve — that provides information to our brain — is damaged with or without raised intraocular pressure.

Glaucoma develops slowly and often without any symptoms, which is why there is such a high rate of non-detection in Australia.

When left untreated, it can cause vision loss or lead to irreversible blindness — reinforcing why awareness and early intervention are crucial.

In Australia, glaucoma affects:

• 1 in 10,000 babies are born with it;
• 1 in 200 of us have it by age 40;
• 1 in 8 of us have it by age 80.

The ASO is calling on Australians to take proactive action and book a potentially sight-saving eye test this week.

Click here to assess and know your risk factors via the Glaucoma Australia website. 

Click here to find out more via the official World Glaucoma Week website.