Why is it so difficult to know if you have glaucoma, the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it will reach 80 million people in 2020 and 111.5 in 2040.

It is glaucoma, a chronic and degenerative disease that results in a progressive loss of vision.

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According to the WHO, glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world.

The biggest problem is that, as in the beginning, asymptomaticMany people do not know that they have it.

What is glaucoma?

The term "glaucoma" describes a group of eye diseases affecting the optic nerve.

This is, along with cataracts, one of the leading causes of vision loss and blindness.

It is badociated with the increase of intraocular pressure, a measure that indicates the tension inside the eye.

Most people have no symptoms or early warning signs at the beginning.

Glaucoma can be treated, but it is not curable: Damage to the optic nerve due to glaucoma can not be reversed.

In its early days, glaucoma causes peripheral vision loss, it's like looking through a tube or in a narrow tunnel.

This effect called "tunnel vision" makes it difficult to walk without stumbling on objects placed on one side, near the head or at the level of the foot.

What are the types of glaucoma?

There are several types of glaucoma.

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The most common is primary opening angle, accounting for almost 80% of diagnoses. It is asymptomatic and appears after 40 years.

In this case, the intraocular pressure increases slowly due to the dysfunction of the drainage angle of the eye, responsible for the output of the eye fluid (aqueous humor).

As a rule of thumb, vision loss begins at the ends of the visual field and, if not treated properly, ultimately compromises vision as a whole.

The closed primary angle, lesser incidence, occurs when the exit angle of the aqueous humor is blocked, usually by the iris, and that the fluid can not be drained.

In general, this causes a sudden increase in intraocular pressure and the patient may experience intense pain in the eyes and head and remain with blurred vision.

The conbad glaucoma This occurs when the child is born with a malformation in the fluid drainage system of the eye. His symptoms include dull eyes and bluish discoloration, watery eyes, photophobia and enlargement of the eyeball. It can manifest immediately after birth or in childhood.

"It's a rare type, but early diagnosis is essential for immediate treatment," says Wilma Lelis Barboza, of the Brazilian Council of Ophthalmology and President of the Brazilian Society of Glaucoma (SBG ).

Another type of glaucoma is normal pressure. Unlike the others, the optic nerve is damaged even without an increase in intraocular pressure. Its causes are unknown, but it is known to be badociated with vascular problems.

There is also the glaucoma secondary, triggered by external factors such as inflammation, trauma and the use of eye drops of corticosteroids for a long time without medical indication nor supervision; the pigmentAryan, caused by the occlusion of the eye drainage angle by a pigment released by the iris, and pseudoxfoliative, caused by the obstruction of the drainage system of aqueous humor by abnormal fibrillar deposits.

Who can suffer from the disease?

The pathology has various origins, being the genetic one of the most relevant. Thus, children with glaucoma carriers are between 6 and 10 times more likely to develop it.

The advanced age It also increases the risks. In general, the incidence increases from age 40 to 7.5% at age 80. This also increases the risk of using eye drops with corticosteroids indiscriminately and without medical guidance, as they can lead to increased intraocular pressure. .

Attention should be redoubled in the case of diabetics, people with heart disease and victims of trauma or eye damage.

What are the treatment options?

Once glaucoma is diagnosed, treatment is given according to the type and stage in which it is detected.

Ophthalmologist Lelis Barboza points out that there is no cure, but you can control.

"It's a chronic and progressive disease, and the goal of any treatment is to stabilize it, but it will not allow the patient to recover the lost vision." to be treated regularly to avoid blindness, "he says.

Therapies are performed with clinical, surgical procedures or the combination of both. At the beginning of the disease, the daily application of specific eye drops is usually recommended.

In some situations, it is also necessary to use the laser. The early stages of closed-angle glaucoma, for example, are treated this way. Surgery, in turn, is used in approximately 10% of cases and in conbad glaucoma.

According to Lelis Barboza, the commitment to continuous treatment with no predetermined duration is very important for its success.

"Not seeing the evolution of the disease, many patients tend to neglect the administration of drugs," he added.

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