"Have your eyes examined" as part of Global Glaucoma Week, a silent disease that causes blindness

According to the World Health Organization, glaucoma affects about 80 million people worldwide. By 2050, this figure is expected to increase by 20. To raise awareness, this Friday, March 15, as part of Global Glaucoma Week, the Simes Medical Institute and the Fernando Barreyro Pediatrics Hospital have acceded to countryside. to participate for free and open to the entire population.

World Glaucoma Day is commemorated on March 12, but as part of Global Glaucoma Week campaign on Friday, March 15, the Argentinean Council of Ophthalmology (OAC), with support from Transitions Optical, will carry out its National Campaign traditional glaucoma detection system, which will be free and open to the entire population.

Glaucoma is a progressive eye disease that, if not treated in time, causes irreversible damage. This occurs, in most cases, by the increase in eye pressure.

Throughout the day, controls on free intraocular pressure and optic nerve buds will be performed on all individuals who voluntarily approach health centers across the country.

In Misiones, he will be present at:

Simes Medical Institute – Córdoba 2344, Posadas
Pediatric Hospital Fernando Barreyro-Mariano Moreno 110, Posadas

The anniversary of March 12 has been instituted and promoted since 2008 by the World Glaucoma Association (WGA) and the World Association of Glaucoma Patients (WGPA) in an effort to inform and raise awareness. population to the importance of the prevention and early diagnosis of glaucoma, a set of 60 eye diseases that can lead to blindness due to progressive degeneration of the optic nerve.

In Argentina, more than a million people suffer from glaucoma, but most of them do not know it. It is therefore essential to consult the ophthalmologist for routine examinations at least once a year, in order to be able to establish an early diagnosis, since the symptom appears when 80% of the visual field has already been lost.

Ophthalmologists Daniel Grigera, María Angélica Moussalli and Alejo Peyret, coordinators of the campaign, say: "It's a silent disease where vision is lost without the person noticing it and the loss of vision caused by glaucoma can not be recovered, with proper diagnosis and adequate treatment, the vast majority of patients with this disease retain their vision. "

The campaign has been uninterrupted since 1997 and between 5,000 and 8,000 people benefit from free eye care every year. According to data collected in previous campaigns, more than 50% of badisted patients did not know what glaucoma was and for more than 40% of participants, it was the first time that they were taking intraocular pressure.

The support of Transitions Optical, flagship brand of light-sensitive lenses, at the Argentinean Ophthalmology Council, complements the actions taken by the company to reaffirm its commitment to the public's visual health and its prevention, so that it can take care of it. necessary to prevent a silent disease such as glaucoma.

CP / PE