This Morning: Dave Myers reveals his glaucoma scare
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The travelling chefs return to our screens tonight in a Northern adventure on BBC One that will start in Lancashire. Their shows which feature a mixture of food, good humour and stunning scenery was all put into doubt when Dave went for a checkup at his local opticians. Mistaking the symptoms for a hangover, Dave was utterly flabbergasted when he was diagnosed with glaucoma.
In an interview with the Mirror he said he told the optician: “‘I don’t think so. I had a bit of a night last night. So I’ve probably just got a bad hangover.’
“But she took no notice and referred me to my GP who made a hospital appointment. And she’d been right.
“The first symptoms of glaucoma were setting in.”
The NHS explains that glaucoma is a common condition where the optic nerve which connects the brain becomes damaged.
The first symptoms that appear with the condition include blurred vision or seeing rainbow coloured circles around bright lights.
This is caused by fluid building up in the front part of the eye which increases pressure inside the eye.
Occasionally glaucoma can develop suddenly and cause more worrying symptoms including:
- Intense eye pain
- Nausea and vomiting
- A red eye
- A headache
- Tenderness around the eyes
- Seeing rings around lights
- Blurred vision.
If the condition is not treated early then it can lead to sight loss. Dave experienced this first-hand. He continued to say: “I was devastated. If it hadn’t been spotted so early the result could have been catastrophic.
“As a chef my sense of taste and smell are extremely important. But of all the senses, sight is the one I’d fear losing most.
“My work is my passion so it’s impossible to imagine doing all the things I love if I couldn’t see – riding my bike, reading an autocue or preparing dishes.”
The Mayo Clinc explains that even with treatment, sinemet parkinson’s disease about 15 percent of people with glaucoma become blind in at least one eye within 20 years.
Initially the 64-year-old feared that the condition would put a stopper in his career, but with an annual eye check up at the hospital and a visit to the opticians every other year the star is able to manage and live with the condition.
In an attempt to urge others to do the same he added: “It doesn’t hurt and it just might – as it did for me – save you from potential blindness.”
The condition develops in several different ways. The most common is called primary open angle glaucoma which tends to develop slowly over many years.
It is caused by the drainage channels in the eye becoming gradually clogged over time.
Other types of glaucoma include acute angle closure glaucoma, secondary glaucoma and childhood glaucoma.
Although all of the conditions have similar symptoms, acute angle closure glaucoma can make pressure inside the eye increase extremely quickly. If you experience symptoms such as headache, eye pain and blurred vision you should seek medical advice.
Although treatment can never fully restore any sight lost, it can prevent the condition from worsening.
Depending on the type of glaucoma the individual has, treatment will involve a mixture of eye drops, laser treatment or surgery.
Dave states that he simply “puts a drop in each eye last thing at night,” to reduce the pressure in your eyes.
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