Those with family history of glaucoma are four to nine times more likely to develop the eye condition, as attested to by Maxwell Opara who also became blind after his father and two siblings had been blinded by the eye thief. TESSY IGOMU reports

Twenty-six-year-old Maxwell Opara partially lost his sight to glaucoma at the age of 18.

He says, most times, he is thrown into pitch darkness and left in a world of just hearing sound; while in some rare moments, he experiences blurry vision.

Being visually impaired also robbed him of the zeal to live at a point, he confesses. He, however, rose from despair to emerge the best graduating student in the Faculty of Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, with a grade point aggregate of 4.64.

The graduate of Social Studies Education is about to conclude his National Youth Service programme in Enugu State, but he is unsure of what the future holds, especially in a society, which, he says, doesn’t hold much promise for the visually impaired.

Glaucoma left me visually impaired

Maxwell says what culminated into his vision loss started from childhood. He recalled always squinting to see, and that his mother usually took him to the hospital for check-ups.

“I had a very poor sight at that stage of my life and it was difficult to see things from afar.

“During my senior secondary days, my mother took me to several eye specialists, but I always ended up with just eye drops and glasses. Nobody told me it was glaucoma,” he said.

Maxwell recalled that it was during a routine medical checkup in 2012, which was part of the requirements for admission into the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State, that he discovered that he had the condition.

The condition of his sight made him drop out of the institution after two years.

He had also gained admission into the University of Benin, but he couldn’t attend because of his eye problem.

“During the medical clearance, I couldn’t read sentences written on a board. I was only able to capture two or three alphabets. It saddened me because I had my glasses on and still couldn’t see. I was referred to the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, for treatment,” he said.

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, glaucoma is a disease that damages the eyes’ optic nerve.

It usually happens when fluid builds up in the front part of the eye, and the extra fluid increases pressure in the eye, damaging the optic nerve.

Specialists say the most common type is the primary open-angle glaucoma angle-closure glaucoma.

Glaucoma cost me my dream course

Maxwell was among the top five students admitted into FUTO on merit to study Microbiology, and was told he had prospects of graduating with a first class. Despite working hard to make the honours list, his dream was cut short by the ‘silent eye thief.’

“My JAMB score was 251 and post-UME, 336. I had very bright prospects, but along the line, the inevitable happened.

“My sight deteriorated so fast in 200 level that I couldn’t continue with my university education. Whenever I went into the examination hall and it became cloudy, I found it difficult to read.

“I ended up writing haphazardly and this affected my grades. I failed two courses, Term 201 and 204. At a point, I confided in my HOD, who advised me to get a low visual aid.

“The only option was to get a telescope, which cost about N300,000, but the doctor said I was too young to use the equipment to visualise.” He was later advised to drop out of school and go for vocational course.

“That was how I forfeited the dream of becoming a microbiologist,” he added.

The visually impaired young man, however, said the next appointment he had with an optometrist changed his life forever. “The doctor said my eyes had degenerated badly and were no longer responding to treatment. His verdict made me register in a vocational centre for rehabilitation.

“I went through a series of lessons, wrote another WASSCE and UTME, and gained admission into UNN to study Social Studies Education.

“My grades were so good that I was elected the course representative and occupied the position till I graduated.”

Siblings and father plagued by glaucoma

Maxwell’s condition is genetic, it turns out, as the condition runs in his family. His father was blinded by glaucoma, while his two siblings are also on the verge of completely losing their sight.

The burden of taking care of the whole family, he said, rests on his mother, Mrs. Celestine Opara, who is a trader in Lagos.

There are chances of inheriting glaucoma, a Consultant Ophthalmologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Dr. Bolanle Balogun, said; adding that it could run in the family.

She noted that it is a progressive condition that, without treatment, will lead to loss of peripheral (side) vision and, ultimately, blindness.

Speaking with PUNCH Healthwise, she said the way glaucoma affects newborn and young children (congenital glaucoma) is different from presentation later on (juvenile glaucoma).
She said when no specific cause is identified, it is called “primary glaucoma.
Balogun explained that most childhood glaucoma is primary, either congenital or infantile (developing between one to 24 months of age).

“Most children with glaucoma are diagnosed within the first three years of life. “Some cases of primary glaucoma may have a genetic component, but most are sporadic, occurring in families with no history of congenital glaucoma.

“In the first year, a child with glaucoma will not like to look at light (photosensitivity), have enlarged eyes, watery eyes and the cornea will look hazy. The white part of the eye [the sclera] would be bluish.

“Juvenile open-angle glaucoma is a rare subset of glaucoma diagnosed in individuals greater than three years old and less than 40 years of age. In this case, parents might notice that the child is not seeing well, always bumps into objects and might not recognise any of the parents from afar.

“The school teacher might also complain about the child not seeing well and not copying correctly.

“Because it’s painless, most people won’t know and gradually, vision will be lost. It is important for parents to be aware of the signs of childhood glaucoma,” Balogun advised.

Coping in school was tough

Functioning like other regular students on campus posed quite a great challenge, Maxwell disclosed.

He noted that moving around was hard, and he had to study with gadgets specifically designed to help visually impaired students.

“Despite the challenge, I graduated with a first class and emerged the best graduating student from my faculty,” he enthused.

“Aside God, my mother was the brain behind my success. She provided everything, including a laptop, scanner, typewriter and Android phone fitted with talking devices to make me comfortable. Those things are quite expensive.

“I wasn’t that spectacular, but she was there to motivate me to achieve success. Her sacrifice made me vow to surmount all hurdles to put a smile on her face.”

Maxwell said he was also able to cope in school through the help of fellow students and lecturers who went the extra mile to make him happy.

I have regrets

Maxwell said he had lots of regrets, and knew that his life could have turned out better with a perfect sight.

“I have lots of regrets looking back. I never imagined becoming an educationist. This is not my field. My dream was to study Industrial Chemistry.

“I initially gained admission into the University of Benin, but I couldn’t go because of my predicament. I also lost out on the opportunity to study microbiology. So many years have been lost.

“Probably, I should be married by now and raising my own family. But here I am, still battling with what my younger ones should be doing by now. I am the first child, and should be seen doing extraordinary things for my parents. I know it’s not late.”

Visually impaired people need conducive environment to thrive

Life for the visually impaired, Maxwell lamented, can be really unsettling. He said creating an enabling environment to arise above the challenges would help many live a normal life.

“Our leaders should subsidise tuition fees for visually impaired students. The gadgets and other things we need to survive in school are expensive.

“Many visually impaired people beg to survive because the system doesn’t support them. Nobody is willing to give them the type of life they want, so they resort to begging for sustenance.

“Government can’t provide everything for us, but it can liaise with the school authority to provide an adequate learning environment. In UNN, there is a library, but they didn’t put into cognisance the fact that virtually everything visually impaired students need to do is online.

“I do my assignments and term papers by myself, and if there is no constant internet service, it becomes difficult to carry out the task because of mobility challenges.
“Unavailability of several services impairs our ability to learn,” Maxwell said.

The society stigmatise us

“Graduating with a first class is one thing, but fitting in is another,” Maxwell said, noting that the only obstacle he feels will stop him from finding a job and living normal life is stigmatisation.

“Government has much job to do in this area because massive awareness needs to be created, to let people know that blindness is not a disease.

“Visual impairment is not transmittable. Society should take us the way we are and stop the stigma. People prefer to lead me by the shoulder instead of holding my hand to cross a major road

“Sometimes, when you ask for help to cross a busy road, some would pretend not to hear. When people with disability are consistently stigmatised, they tend to become depressed and might commit suicide.”

‘Parents shouldn’t give up on us’

Maxwell advised parents not give up on their visually impaired children. “Help us to live above the circumstances,” he pleaded.

“I got so much love and support from my family. There was no day that my mother wished me evil. She made me promise her good grades, and for that reason, she is the first to commend me whenever I make good grades.

“Why I am saying this is for parents to allow their visually impaired children to be expressive, independent, and to live joyfully with their condition. Don’t hate or lock them indoors. If my mother had hidden me, I wouldn’t be a graduate today.

“When she discovered that I couldn’t see, she told me to look for a good vocational school. On my part, I was willing to study because I knew education was the only thing that could liberate me.”

Maxwell needs help to move on

By the end of February, Maxwell will complete his NYSC programme. But he wonders if he ever stands the chance to get a job.

“When my service year is over, I wish someone could find me employable. I need an administrative or teaching job, so that I can go for my master’s programme.

“I need to ease the burden my mother has been carrying for years. We are employable and the government should create job opportunities for us. Nobody wants to employ people with disability because they don’t believe we can function effectively.

“I have heard people say they want to see how I will get a job with my first-class certificate. Nobody can play God.

“Many of us live with the fear that there might never be a job out there for our kind. These are concerns that the government should address holistically” Maxwell appealed.

Glaucoma management

On how glaucoma can be avoided or managed, Balogun, who is also an oculoplastic surgeon, said the disease can’t be avoided, but that certain lifestyles like smoking, alcohol and local herbs consumption should be avoided in pregnancy.

“For congenital glaucoma, a pregnant woman can’t know what is going on inside her womb
“However, if a parent notices that a child is not seeing well, is always hiding from light at a tender age, has watery eyes, and that eyeball is growing bigger, it is important to check for glaucoma.

“For an older child, bumping into objects or inability to locate an object, large eyes, dull or cloudy eye, tears when not crying, redness in the sclera (the white part of the eye), sensitivity to light and constant blinking should be reasons to be concerned.

“Such a child should be taken to see an ophthalmologist. Early diagnosis and treatment offer the best hope of preventing blindness in children and adults,” she advised.