Glaucoma under the spotlight

Eye health organisations in Ireland have warned that glaucoma is expected to rise by 33 per cent in the country in the next decade.

In a report in the Irish Independent, the Association of Optometrists Ireland, Irish College of Ophthalmologists and the National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI) warn that 3 per cent of the older population, over the age of 50, have glaucoma.

They added that treatment worked very well if it was detected early and usually involved eye drops alone.

The optical bodies highlighted that the 33 per cent rise, linked to an increase in population by 2021, might be higher with the incidence of glaucoma increasing as more people lived longer.