I was diagnosed with Glaucoma at birth. The doctors used drops in my right eye which reduced the pressure and improved the vision but had to operate on my left eye by draining the excess fluid because the eye drops did not work. The operation did not work and I was left with only sight in the right eye.

Glaucoma was not properly explained to my parents, they were told about the condition but not what steps to take to manage it. At 18 years I started to go to the hospital on my own and was told a little bit about the condition. The eye specialist always measured the pressure and gave me eye drops on occasions. I knew I had a cataract in my left eye and this was removed in 1992. But I did not know that there was a small cataract in my right eye which was growing. At 33 years my vision went completely cloudy. I could barely see in the daytime and could not go out after dark. The doctors did not want to operate due to the high pressure in my eye caused by Glaucoma but I convinced them that it was a risk worth taking.

I had to have two cataract operations within the space of a month. This caused the pressure in my eyes to jump drastically. Glaucoma was not properly explained to me even at this time. I had been suffering from this condition for some time but I did not know enough to ask questions and the doctors never really explained the condition. But they were always reluctant to do anything to my eyes due to Glaucoma. They told me that I had cataracts in both eyes since I was young but it was too much of a risk to remove them as this could have raised the pressure in my eyes.

SAMEC Trust has been a great help to me in explaining what Glaucoma is.

I heard about SAMEC via their newsletter and I attended a SAMEC workshop.

Since coming into contact with the people from SAMEC Trust, I have gained a better understanding of Glaucoma and how it can cause permanent loss of sight if not treated. SAMEC has provided me with very good sources of information and points of contact and advice.

I now must take 3 different eye drops to control Glaucoma. Two are taken daily and one is taken at night. I attend the Moorfields Eye Hospital twice a year. This is to check the pressure in my eyes and to see if there are any changes in my vision. I always tell the specialist if there has been the slightest of changes in my vision. I always ask my specialist questions and try to understand what treatments they are doing and what it is that I have to do to protect my vision. If I don’t understand something I can always come to SAMEC for help and advice.

I support the Sight for Life Campaign to help other people like myself understand their eye condition.