Written By Despina
Contributing Optometrist

Ophthalmologist appointment day today. I have come to dread these 6-monthly appointments (and all doctors appointments for that matter) to check on my glaucoma.

This is the day my intra-ocular pressures are measured, and my optic nerve fibres are checked for further damage. Even miniscule changes, which are not yet noticeable to me, are terrifying. Sometimes I think it would be better not to understand the biology, what’s going on at cellular level.

On the other hand, it’s better than being in the group of glaucoma patients that forgets their daily drops. A recent study carried out in the UK by the National Health Service, on patients aged 22 to 100 (yay, I’m at the younger end of the spectrum in this one!) showed that it is in fact the younger patients that neglect to use their eyedrops regularly. Some of them don’t even bother to pick up their prescriptions. You can forgive an older patient for maybe forgetting now and again, but the younger ones have no excuse. Ok, maybe I’m a bit melodramatic as far as my vision is concerned, but that is totally crazy!

So if being melodramatic is what saves my vision, so be it. Hopefully it will be good news this afternoon.