A Tauranga eye doctor with a clinic that treats and monitors Bay of Plenty residents for glaucoma believes there are more unsuspecting locals with the disease.

'We expect there to be a couple of thousand more undiagnosed in the BOP community,” says Tauranga Eye Specialist ophthalmologist Dr Sam Kain.

Tauranga's ophthalmologist Dr Sam Kain urges locals to get an eye examination to prevent blindness from an incurable disease. Photo: Tracy Hardy.

'In glaucoma the optic nerve fibres progressively die, taking away the peripheral or side vision first.

'Therefore visual loss goes undetected until it is quite advanced. Tens of thousands of people in NZ have glaucoma and up to half of those with glaucoma don't even know they have it.”

Sam, who will speak at a public meeting in Tauranga tomorrow to encourage locals to get their eyes checked to prevent Glaucoma advancing, says the key is having it diagnosed early.

'If glaucoma is not treated then irreversible blindness can occur,” adds Sam. 'This generally occurs slowly but inexorably.

'Treatment for most people is a simple once or twice a day eyedrop which prevents blindness in almost all cases.”

Glaucoma NZ, a charitable trust aiming to eliminate blindness from the disease, is hosting the free meeting in Tauranga tomorrow.

They say the condition is often referred to as the 'silent thief of sight”, but treatment prevents blindness in 98 per cent of cases.

The trust recommends an eye examination every five years from age 45 and every three years from age 60.

Sam says he'll talk about some of the glaucoma basics 'including diagnosis, treatment and screening”.

The Glaucoma NZ public meeting with Sam is on April 18 from 10am at Hotel Armitage, 9 Willow Street, Tauranga. Admission is free.