Pioneering operation for Glaucoma if the eye drops stop working

Around half a million Britons have glaucoma, high pressure in the eye, which can lead to loss of vision. Jean Billam, 78, a retired nursery nurse from Sheffield, benefited from a new procedure to treat it, as she tells CAROL DAVIS. 

THE PATIENT

My eyesight is, of course, vital to me, especially as I enjoy reading and sewing so much, as well as watching TV.

But there is a family history of glaucoma — my older brother Norman developed it 35 years ago — and, since it can run in families, his ophthalmologist said I would need testing.

Because glaucoma creates a risk of going blind — your eye doesn’t drain properly, meaning fluid builds up and puts pressure on the optic nerve — my GP referred me to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, to be monitored. Sure enough, by the time I was in my mid-40s I had early signs of it in both eyes.

Jean Billam, 78, a retired nursery nurse from Sheffield, benefited from a new procedure to treat glaucoma

Jean Billam, 78, a retired nursery nurse from Sheffield, benefited from a new procedure to treat glaucoma 

If it’s caught early, glaucoma is much easier to treat and less likely to damage sight. Although I was worried, I had total faith in my doctors.

At first they prescribed eyedrops, which I used three times a day to reduce the production of fluid in my eye and increase drainage. I also went back for monitoring every six months.

I’d never noticed it becoming any harder for me to see, or ‘felt’ anything wrong. But that’s the thing about glaucoma — it’s symptomless until you lose your sight, by which time it’s too late.

But even though I used my eyedrops religiously, the pressure kept rising, especially in my left eye. In 1997, I had laser surgery to stimulate the drainage channels. This was painful yet still didn’t help, so I kept using eyedrops.

In March 1999, I had a trabeculectomy in my left eye. This is an operation under local anaesthetic where doctors make a tiny hole in the eyeball so the fluid can drain through that. They always treat just one eye at a time to reduce the risk of sight loss in both eyes. It did, at last, have an effect.

But even though I used my eyedrops religiously, the pressure kept rising, especially in my left eye

But even though I used my eyedrops religiously, the pressure kept rising, especially in my left eye

But the pressure continued rising in my right eye, and my vision on that side was blurred as a result of this, together with a growing cataract.

Last November, my consultant told me I’d need an operation on that eye, too, to remove the cataract and also to widen the drainage channels.

On the morning of the operation, in January, the consultant told me he was using a new instrument called a goniotome, which would cut a clear channel instead of burning tissue as they do normally. I’d be the first patient in Europe to be treated this way — I felt honoured.

When I woke from the general anaesthetic, I wasn’t aware they’d done anything. My eyesight on that side was blurred at first and I stayed with my daughter for a couple of nights before coming home to my own bungalow. Compared to the trabeculectomy years ago, which left my face bruised and took days to recover from, the goniotome was just brilliant — I barely knew I’d had surgery.

When I saw the consultant four weeks later, the pressure in my right eye had dropped to the lowest it had been in 35 years. Instead of an abnormal 22mmHg, it was under 10mmHg — at the lower end of normal.

As long as the pressure remains low, my optic nerve is no longer in danger. I’m down to one set of drops a day, just to maintain it, and am enjoying reading, knitting and sewing without worry.

Jean with her late husband Roy in 1985, around the time she first started treatment for glaucoma

Jean with her late husband Roy in 1985, around the time she first started

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