“I like to serve people who have no access, to care for the underserved,” Dr. Davoud Abassi says.
Early glaucoma detection: A common saying reads that “The eyes are the window to the soul,” and keeping those eyes healthy and looking their best should be a priority for anyone.
One way to do this is through a comprehensive eye exam, which can detect eyesight problems at an early stage before they’re too late.
A common problem affecting the eyes, especially for Latinos, is glaucoma, a leading cause of vision loss and blindness in the United States. But, as with many other diseases, glaucoma often has no early symptoms. Most won’t know they suffer from it until it has advanced to the point where there is no way to slow its progression, and their vision is compromised.
“I like to serve people who have no access, to care for the underserved,” he says.
January is Glaucoma Awareness Month, and Dr. Davoud Abassi, Optometrist at Clínica Romero, notes that this is the time to get your eyes checked, as you should do annually.
“Glaucoma, if it’s not treated, it’s going to cause blindness,” says Dr. Abassi, who has been at the Clínica for almost three years, but initially did not pursue a medical degree.
He began university studying to become an electrical engineer. In his last year of undergraduate studies, he worked as an optician, making glasses and lenses. One of his bosses, an optometrist, encouraged him to follow in his footsteps.
“Healthcare was my passion from early on,” says Dr. Abassi, who found more rewarding “being around people instead of behind a computer” and eventually took the exams necessary to enter medical school and became an optometrist himself.
He prefers working for nonprofits where he finds he can do the most common good for the public.
“I like to serve people who have no access, to care for the underserved,” he says.
Clínica Romero, where a large portion of their patients is Latino, immigrant and underserved, allows him to do that, And many of them, he says, don’t have access to annual eye exams that can detect glaucoma.
WHAT IS GLAUCOMA?
We have millions of nerve fibers in the back of each eye. Over time, these nerve fibers die, affecting mainly peripheral vision. That means you may not see entirely to the sides and your field of vision gets narrower over time.
This process takes a long time, but eventually, patients who an eye doctor does not see, will lose vision.
“It’s a very sneaky disease. We do recommend that they come and see us to detect it very early on,” Dr. Abassi says.
There are different types of glaucoma: open angle glaucoma, close angle glaucoma, and normal tension glaucoma.
Open-angle glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness among Latinos over 40 years of age.
Open angle glaucoma occurs when the drainage system we have in the eyes doesn’t work properly. Other times, it causes the drainage system to be clogged. This can be treated with medication, eye drops, and surgery when the damage is severe.
This is the most common type of glaucoma among Latinos, who tend to suffer from astigmatism, a contributing factor to the disease. Treatment for this type of ailment includes medication or laser surgery, which creates a small hole and helps with the drainage system.
Close angle or narrow glaucoma happens with the narrowing of the drainage system. Asians, who tend to suffer from nearsightedness, are especially susceptible to this form of disease.
Normal tension glaucoma or nerve pressure glaucoma occurs when a person has normal eye pressure but still has damage to the nerves.
WHAT CAUSES GLAUCOMA?
Dr. Abassi says there is no exact reason for glaucoma. Sometimes, the person produces too much liquid in the eye, but it doesn’t come out.
However, age is one risk factor.
A study conducted by the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute found that open-angle glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness among Latinos over 40 years of age. Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness for people over 60, regardless of their ethnicity.
“As you get older, the body doesn’t work the same, and that works with the angle,” Dr. Abassi notes.
Diabetes, high blood pressure, and blood circulation problems are also considered risk factors for glaucoma, as are smoking and stress.
And many of the patients who visit Clínica Romero are afflicted by these problems.
A PROPER EYE EXAM
That’s why he vehemently recommends that everybody have a complete eye exam every year regardless of age.
Dr. Abassi says that eye exams should start early on, at age 3 or 5.
“The sooner, the better; you should always get your eyes checked,” he adds.
This is especially true with condition, because there is also congenital glaucoma, which is something you’re born with.
As with many diseases, only a complete eye exam to detect glaucoma.
“We check the vision, the eye pressure; if the reading is above 21, we know the drainage system of the eye is not working properly,” he explains.
They also take a photography of the back of the eye that gives the doctor a baseline to compare. This way, “if the nerve changes, we can tell (in subsequent visits),” he adds.
They also do a general screening of the peripheral vision at the clinic.
TREATMENT
There is no cure for glaucoma, so detecting it early can help slow the progression of the disease. Even surgery is only meant to delay further damage.
While Clínica Romero has all the equipment to conduct a proper eye exam, it may sometimes refer patients to a glaucoma ophthalmologist for follow-up.
But the most important thing is to have your eyes checked as soon as possible.
Dr. Abassi says that he sometimes sees patients who have never had an eye exam and only come to see him when their vision is already severely affected.
“If they come and see us, we can start treatment and detect it early,” he says. “If there is damage to the nerve, it’s not reversible.
“With early on treatment, we can manage the disease,” he adds. “We can make sure it doesn’t cause blindness.”
Some other things you can do to take care of your eyes is maintain a healthy diet rich in anti-oxidants with lots of leafy, green vegetables. You should also manage your stress, limit caffeine intake, maintain proper hydration, exercise regularly, and quit smoking (if you smoke). All of this can help regulate eye pressure.
And don’t forget your sunglasses.
“This is very important, in general, because a lot of our patients have ‘carnosidad’ (pterygium, a non-cancerous growth on the eye).
“They work outside and don’t wear sunglasses and this can lead to “carnosidad” or early cataracts,” Dr. Abassi says.
And he notes that “anything that has to do with the eye, if you can prevent, it’s much better than trying to treat it later.”
MAKE AN APPOINTMENT
To make an appointment for a comprehensive eye exam at Clínica Romero, call (213) 989-7700.
SYMPTOMS OF GLAUCOMA
Blurred or dim vision, especially on the edges
Needing more light to see
Gradual loss of side (peripheral) vision
Sudden vision loss
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