Glaucoma: the leading cause of irreversible blindness
Written by:What is glaucoma and how does it appear?
Glaucoma is an eye disease characterized by the pathological increase of intraocular pressure due to lack of drainage of the aqueous humor and has as its final common condition an optic neuropathy characterized by the progressive loss of nerve fibers of the optic nerve and changes in their appearance. There are several types of glaucoma , in most of them the drainage system of the eye is blocked and the intraocular fluid can not drain normally.. When this fluid accumulates, the pressure of the eye increases and damages the optic nerve, which leads to the irreversible loss of vision.
Each type of Glaucoma has a different origin and evolution, but most cases correspond to the so-called simple chronic glaucoma.. Most affected people do not have symptoms in the early stages of the disease; The most obvious signs are manifested when there are defects in the visual field, blurred vision, eye pain, headache, perception of halos around the eyes and progressive loss of vision.
Prevention is the best solution to cope with glaucoma, so Dr.. Lillo Sopena recommends reviews especially to people most likely to develop glaucoma, which are people with high eye pressure, over 40, relatives of people who have had glaucoma or people of African descent.
According to Dr. Lillo Sopena, "the great problem of glaucoma, is that in most cases, the patient does not perceive any change in their vision until very advanced stages of the disease. Usually begins losing field of vision, a circumstance very difficult to perceive for the patient, to finally affect the central vision ". In addition, the glaucoma specialist warns us that "if the disease is not treated properly, there will be a loss of visual field that can be invalidating and will ultimately result in a loss of total vision".
Without proper treatment, glaucoma can cause blindness, but with early detection and proper treatment, vision can be preserved. It is a disease that affects a greater number of people every day and that is more frequent as age increases. Currently more than 70 million people worldwide suffer from glaucoma , of which 10% are blind. Glaucoma is one of the causes of irreversible blindness in the world.
Glaucoma prevention
"The key to avoiding the most advanced and irreversible phases of glaucoma is early detection" explains the ophthalmologist at TopDoctors.es. Dr. Lillo Sopena explains what we can do for early detection:
- Perform an annual ophthalmological review, starting at age 40, and earlier if there is a family history of glaucoma.
- Routine exams in children and adolescents.
- Genetic test of early detection
Glaucoma treatment
Currently, there are different therapies to treat glaucoma and help to alleviate their progress. "We must bear in mind that the treatment of glaucoma only manages to stop the symptoms of the disease, but we will never achieve a total improvement of the disease," Dr.. Lillo Sopena
Depending on the stage of the disease in which we are, the recommended treatment will vary. Although eye pressure is only one of the causes of glaucoma, reducing this pressure is the most commonly used treatment based on eye drops. For more acute cases, laser treatment may also be useful. If in spite of all this, glaucoma continues to progress, Dr. Juan Lillo Sopena of TopDoctors.es® advises "to apply a surgical treatment. In recent years new surgical techniques have emerged that have helped to control this disease more safely and effectively. Most of them are trying to create new ways to drain the aqueous humor. "
