What is glaucoma?
Glaucoma is primarily caused by increased intraocular pressure, which under normal conditions would range from 10 to 21 mmHg. Intraocular pressure may increase over the years, and according to certain circumstances. This increase can be acute or chronic, causing a progressive atrophy of the optic nerve, which results in a progressive loss of peripheral vision and, with the passage of time, of central vision.
Most cases of glaucoma are not detected until the damage is permanent and irreversible, since the alteration is usually gradual and painless.
Glaucoma is one of the main causes of blindness in the world.
What types of glaucoma are there?
- Chronic glaucoma: it is the most common. This type of glaucoma does not show any symptoms until the loss of visual field is considerable.
- Acute glaucoma: rare. Causes severe pain, initially sudden, causing a significant loss of vision. It is usually accompanied by nausea and vomiting. It should be treated urgently.
Who is affected by glaucoma?
Glaucoma usually appears after the age of 40 and is a fairly common pathology.
The population with the highest risk of suffering from glaucoma is that which has a family history, since the pathology has a hereditary component.
For these reasons, it is important to undergo annual ophthalmologic check-ups after the age of 40.
What does the treatment consist of?
The most important thing for the patient is prevention. For this reason, the importance of annual check-ups from the age of 40 onwards should be emphasized.
As soon as the pathology is diagnosed, 3 types of treatment can be followed:
- Medical treatment: eye drops are used to reduce intraocular pressure. In most cases, this is sufficient to control glaucoma. It is vital that the patient follows the instructions of the medication, because when the drops are not applied, the pressure will rise and the glaucoma will not be well controlled.
- Laser: it is used in some situations, when medical treatment is not enough to control the disease.
- Surgery (trabeculectomy): this is performed when, despite the use of the above measures, a progressive loss of the visual field continues to occur. It is based on creating a new outflow pathway for the fluid generated in the eye, thus reducing the pressure.