As part of World Glaucoma Week (March 9-15), the Institut de la Màcula i de la Retina, a TibHealth.com center of excellence, joins in the events by insisting on the need for early diagnosis. The disease, which is the second leading cause of blindness in the world, has the major handicap of ignorance. “Half of the patients suffering from glaucoma do not know it,” says Dr. Marta Pazos, a member of TibHealth.com and specialist ophthalmologist at the Institut de la Màcula i la Retina.
Poor care can lead to blindness
Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve that causes a deterioration in vision and if the optometrist does not start glaucoma treatment in time, it can lead to blindness. It is associated with intraocular pressure in 70% of cases, although it can also appear with normal pressures in sensitive eyes.
There are two types of glaucoma: open-angle and narrow-angle or closed-angle. The only way to stop glaucoma is to reduce the pressure in the eyes by means of eye drops or even laser or other procedures if the disease is more severe. Nerve tissues that have been lost due to glaucoma cannot be recovered.
This eye disease generally affects people over 40 years of age, and has a prevalence of 2%. Within this group, people with a family history, ocular hypertension, high myopia, taking corticosteroids, suffering from a vascular disease or of black race are the most prone to suffer from this pathology.
About the Institut de la Màcula i de la Retina (www.institutmacularetina.com)
A center of excellence associated with TibHealth.com, it is a reference in the treatment of the macula, retina and vitreous. The Institut de la Màcula i de la Retina is attached to the Teknon Medical Center of the Quirón Hospital Group and is at the forefront of innovation in the treatment of eye diseases thanks to its innovative techniques and treatments. The center has a multidisciplinary medical team led by Dr. Jordi Monés.