Glaucoma cases rising in India

Glaucoma, the third most common cause of blindness in India is rising significantly, especially among young adults, according to doctors.

According to various independent studies, reports and data by hospitals, glaucoma-related blindness continues to rise in India due lack of awareness and delay in detection.

In many cases, about 90 per cent of the time in India, the disease goes undetected.

Akin to new lifestyle diseases, ophthalmologists are seeing an increasing trend of glaucoma, also known as the silent thief, the experts said.

Unlike other eye diseases, glaucoma is asymptomatic till a late stage and by that time visual loss is irreversible, they added.

As per the World Health Organisation, glaucoma is the most common cause of irreversible blindness across the globe. Glaucoma affects nearly 11.2 million people aged 40 and above in India. It’s the third common cause of blindness in our country.