They recommend an annual eye check to prevent glaucoma, with 53,368 cases diagnosed in Castilla y León.

Optician-optometrists recommend that groups at risk of glaucoma be evaluated annually, or at most every two years, at a specialized ophthalmology or ophthalmic center. This is the best formula for preventing a pathology that has diagnosed 53,368 cases in the Community last year, according to the Glaucoma Association data for sufferers and their families (AGAF).

From a collective point of view, it has also been revealed that, although half of people with degenerative eye disease do not know it, there is currently no cure. Thus, the latest data show that about 25,000 Spaniards diagnosed with the disease may be suffering from total blindness in the coming years, including more than 1,300 in Castile and Leon.

Alberto Del Campo, optician in Valladolid, with 20 years of experience, recommended the practice of revision, since 90% of cases can be avoided. "Glaucoma is a multifunctional disease that affects the nerve fibers of ganglion cells in the optic nerve," he said.

In addition, he stated that most glaucoma is characterized by an increase in intraocular pressure (IOP) or a disturbance of the circulation that affects the optic nerve. "This pathology can be due to several factors, and it negatively affects these cells, which are like the" cables "that connect the eyes to our brain," he continued. At the same time, he said that glaucoma can also appear with low intraocular pressure and that it is "useful to control it in case of increasing incidence of normotensive glaucoma".

On Tuesday, March 12, World Ocular Day is celebrated to inform and educate the public about the importance of preventing glaucoma and all 60 eye diseases that can lead to irreversible blindness due to progressive degeneration. optic nerve and retina. "It is a silent disease, which does not hurt, there are no symptoms nearby, the field of vision is lost and it becomes progressively tubular, that's why we do not notice not that we suffer, "said the optician of Valladolid.

Main symptoms

Typical symptoms are watery eyes and optical defects such as a visual field, the area that can be seen without moving the head curved or narrowed. From time to time, glaucoma causes a reduction or a penalization of the visual field or the appearance of colored circles when we look towards bright light sources and, in some types, the affected people undergo a general loss of visual acuity and reduced perception of contrast.

In eye revision tests, images of the retina are captured in a harmless manner. "We measure the intraocular pressure, we perform a pachymetry, a test by which we determine the thickness of the cornea, another factor that also affects the disease, and we measure the iridocorneal angle and the Schlemm channel, equally important references in prevention "Del Campo added.

At-risk groups, who are asked to look at their eyesight every year, are usually people over 40, "those who have high myopia or who, according to their trusted optician, have detected that their iridocorneal angle is narrow or that of her suspicious cornea, "said the optician. It is also important to keep in mind diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension.

The type of glaucoma determines the treatment and in many cases it is sufficient to have eye drops to reduce intraocular pressure. According to the specialist, laser treatment and surgery can also give the desired results. "Glaucoma surgery is usually performed under local anesthesia and, although the solution is often simple, the damage caused by glaucoma is cumulative and irreversible, hence the importance of early detection", a- he concluded.