Rare hereditary glaucoma runs in Omaha family

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    OMAHA, NE (KETV) — It’s an eye disease that’s difficult to diagnose and left untreated, you will lose your vision.

January is Glaucoma Awareness month, a good time to think about eye health and make appointments for regular vision exams.

“The reason it’s difficult to make a diagnosis of glaucoma is that there’s a tremendous amount of overlap in what’s normal versus what’s glaucoma,” said Dr. Vikas Gulati, Opthalmologist at Nebraska Medicine and UNMC.

Gulati said glaucoma is when pressure in the eye is higher than ideal causing damage to the optic nerve. That ideal range is different for each person. He said the optic nerve is essential for vision, much like the USB cord on a camera. Once damaged, there’s no reversing it. Adults with glaucoma will have no side effects. By the time the optic nerve is damaged, a person may be losing their peripheral vision.

“You could lose 95 percent of your vision and still be 20 /20 and not even realize you have glaucoma,” said Gulati.

He said it’s essential that glaucoma screening is done during eye exams and that a doctor establishes eye pressures that are “normal” for you. That way they can track a change in pressure.

Some rare forms of glaucoma are passed on genetically and children can be diagnosed as well. Gulati said in babies, there are symptoms to watch for.

“The cornea appears hazy, which is the front of the eye. The eye starts to water a lot. Sometimes you can see redness,” he said.

Kristel Allen, an Omaha nurse and mother of four has a form of congenital glaucoma. She’s counted 17 family members who have the disease, or 30-percent of her family. Kristel closely monitors her children at home for the disease, using a medical grade pressure kit. Three of her young children have been diagnosed with glaucoma and have been treated with surgery.

“My hope for my boys is that they maintain their vision and no further vision loss occurs,” she said.

Kristel’s had nine eye surgeries over her lifetime. Most recently, in December, she had a partial cornea transplant and a cataract was removed, all correcting damage caused by glaucoma procedures through life.

“My mother lost 80-percent of the vision in her right eye when she was 4-years-old because they didn’t know glaucoma could run in families,” said Kristel.

Dr. Gulati said consistent monitoring and proper eyeglass correction is key.

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