Edith loves her family. You hear the love in her voice as she speaks about her grandchildren. Even more when she speaks about her great grandchildren.
Her glaucoma journey has been long. It started by chance. Her friend’s glasses had been stolen, so she was taking that friend to get a new pair.
Edith was asked ‘Have you had your eyes checked lately?’ Her answer was ‘never’. She had just turned 50.
“I was lucky to be diagnosed with high intraocular pressures (IOP) back about 1997 and then asked to be on a new eyedrop trial in 1999 which was an interesting experience – especially when my eyelashes grew long and dark!” says Edith.
High IOP, also known as Ocular Hypertension (OHT), is different from glaucoma because there are no detectable changes in vision. There’s no evidence of visual field loss, and no damage to the optic nerve.
OHT is not a disease on its own. And not everyone who has OHT will get glaucoma. But it puts you at risk of developing glaucoma. Sometimes this, in addition to other risk factors, can class you as a ‘glaucoma suspect’.
Sadly in 2013, Edith’s mother passed away. When putting her mother’s affairs in order, she discovered that she unknowingly had a family history of glaucoma. Another risk factor.
“I didn’t know that my mother was blind in one eye from glaucoma – she never told us. I was able to warn my siblings, and both my sisters have high eye pressures and are being monitored” she explains.
Just one year later in 2014, Edith developed irreversible glaucoma damage. “The drops kept the pressure under control for quite a few years. Then suddenly they just started going up and up” she said.
Next was a trabeculectomy in each eye. There has been no more sight loss since. Though she had lost some sight, she could still do things she loved, like flying.
Edith is passionate about spreading awareness. She wants others to have an eye health check. So, she donates to Glaucoma NZ to make it happen.
“It is my privilege and pleasure to be able to donate…If my donation helps towards preventing glaucoma in another person then it is worth every dollar.”
If you or your loved ones have risk factors like family history or high intraocular pressure, you should have eye checks more often than those without them.
Do you want to raise awareness of glaucoma and its risk factors like Edith? Donate here today.