Louise
Glaucoma is something I've lived with all my life and its something that will be with me for the rest of my life. I'm a 18-year-old, female from the United Kingdom and here's my story of living with Glaucoma. I was first diagnosed with Glaucoma when I was six months old. As a baby my parents noticed that whenever I was outside and exposed to bright sunshine I would always cover my left eye with my hand. My parents, realizing something wasn't quite right, took me to the local surgery. However the doctor there told them I just had a blocked tear-duct and said it would soon clear up. Weeks went by and nothing changed so my parents took me back to see another doctor. Luckily this doctor had seen one case of Glaucoma before and recognized the symptoms so I was whisked to my local eye Infirmary that same day when it was diagnosed that I had Congenital glaucoma in my left eye. Congenital glaucoma is a condition where glaucoma is present from birth. An increase in intraocular pressure causes the eye to enlarge. Within two days of being diagnosed I was taken to Moorfields Eye Hospital in London where I had my first operation at the age of six-months. For the next four years of my life I lived between my home in the North-East and Moorfields hospital. Each time I went I had to stay in for a few days because as a baby you need to be taken to theatre to have your pressure taken. Most people who get glaucoma either have a relative who also suffer from it, or they are Afro-Caribbean, who it affects more than others. Well I'm an example of the small percentage of people that get it for no reason at all. There's never been any history of Glaucoma in my family. I was just the unlucky one. As I said I spent the first four years of my life traveling a lot but slowly the time between my visits increased and by the time I was six I was only visiting Moorfields once a year and finally living an ordinary life. Then the worst happened all over again. When I was six I traveled to the hospital as usual by train with my parents and older brother. That year my appointment was in December and we had planned to go and see the Christmas lights after leaving the hospital. However things didn't work out that way. When the doctor examined my eye he found that the pressure had risen quite dramatically and it would mean a second major operation. This was a very hard time for all of us. It would mean starting right back at the beginning again with the traveling so much and for me wearing eye patches again. The operation I had is called Trabeculectomy. This is where a small piece of tissue is removed to make a new opening for the aqueous fluid to escape. The escaping fluid is absorbed from the tissues which form the outer coat of the eye. It took me five years to recover and get back to yearly check-ups. By that time I was eleven and a lot more grown-up. Thankfully that was my last operation up to now. I visit Moorfields once a year for a fields test and a check-up with the doctor. There have been times when I've got a little sad and depressed. Sometimes you just think ''why me?' It's hard enough growing up without having extra problems to deal with. But I cope with it! Glaucoma is not the end of the world even if it feels like it sometimes. I try not to let it effect my life in any way. To look at me you would see a happy and healthy 18-year-old with her whole life ahead of her. The only way you can tell I have glaucoma is if you look very closely at my left eye and then you will see that the pupil is larger than normal, or when I roll my eyes you can see marks only eye from the operations. But hey that's it! I believe I'm one of the lucky ones. Being at Moorfields I have made many friends, I have seen kids that have lost their sight completely either through a disease or a accident. Glaucoma has never stopped me doing what I want. When I left school last year I achieved 10 GCSE's, and at the moment I'm in my second year of A-levels at college where I'm studying English, Psychology and Media Studies. Next Summer I'm hoping to go to university to study Media and eventually become a Sports Journalist. I mean so what if I'm blind in one eye. It's like that saying 'you can't miss what you never had.' Being born with Glaucoma means I've never been able to see out of both eyes so I couldn't tell you the difference because to me it's normal. Glaucoma is a serious disease and needs immediate attention but it won't ruin your life! You control it, don't let it control. Good Luck and God Bless to everyone going through life with Glaucoma.
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