Glaucoma is a silent disease of the optic nerve, which is the path for conducting light stimuli captured by the eye to the brain. “If we have a disease that affects the fibers of this nerve, the end result is impaired vision,” said doctor Bruno Esporcatte, a member of the Brazilian Council of Ophthalmology and representative of the Brazilian Glaucoma Society in Rio de Janeiro.
According to him, many people confuse glaucoma with the issue of increased intraocular pressure. This is a risk factor for the development of glaucoma and, as a result, for vision loss.
Since they don’t have very clear or “exuberant” symptoms of the disease, Esporcatte said, many people don’t feel anything. When they start to feel something, it’s because the glaucoma is in a very advanced stage. “We cannot wait for the patient to feel something to start treating. Ideally, the diagnosis should be made early.
Risk factors
Among the risk factors, Bruno Esporcatte highlighted patients over 40 years of age, those who have a family history of first-degree relatives with the pathology – which increases the chance of developing the disease by three to five times – black patients and patients with high myopia, above 6 degrees.
Intraocular pressure should be measured and an evaluation of the optic nerve should be made, by means of an examination of the fundus of the eye, to see if there is any lesion in the place and, from there, start a regular treatment.
Glaucoma can affect people of any age, but it is more common in elderly patients after age 50. As from the age of 40 onwards, people start to have tired eyes, specialists recommend that adults see an ophthalmologist. It is not impossible, however, that the pathology appears in younger patients.
Glaucoma is one of the main causes of blindness in the world, along with cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Among these, cataracts are reversible. “If you operate, the patient improves, regains his vision”.
The same does not occur with glaucoma, which is the second cause of vision loss, but it is the main cause of irreversible blindness. Bruno Esporcatte said that there are few studies in Brazil on the prevalence of the disease.
THEIR
For the diagnosis of glaucoma, the doctor said that sophisticated instruments are not necessary. In the laboratory itself, the ophthalmologist can perform a fundus examination and measure the intraocular pressure. There are many treatment options across the country, he said. “Today, in most cities, there are places where the population can get medication for free”.
Although there is no cure, it is possible to stop the vision loss caused by glaucoma with proper medication, which includes the use of eye drops, as well as laser treatment or surgery.
Glaucoma is a silent disease of the optic nerve, which is the path for conducting light stimuli captured by the eye to the brain. “If we have a disease that affects the fibers of this nerve, the end result is impaired vision,” said doctor Bruno Esporcatte, a member of the Brazilian Council of Ophthalmology and representative of the Brazilian Glaucoma Society in Rio de Janeiro.
According to him, many people confuse glaucoma with the issue of increased intraocular pressure. This is a risk factor for the development of glaucoma and, as a result, for vision loss.
Since they don’t have very clear or “exuberant” symptoms of the disease, Esporcatte said, many people don’t feel anything. When they start to feel something, it’s because the glaucoma is in a very advanced stage. “We cannot wait for the patient to feel something to start treating. Ideally, the diagnosis should be made early.
Risk factors
Among the risk factors, Bruno Esporcatte highlighted patients over 40 years of age, those who have a family history of first-degree relatives with the pathology – which increases the chance of developing the disease by three to five times – black patients and patients with high myopia, above 6 degrees.
Intraocular pressure should be measured and an evaluation of the optic nerve should be made, by means of an examination of the fundus of the eye, to see if there is any lesion in the place and, from there, start a regular treatment.
Glaucoma can affect people of any age, but it is more common in elderly patients after age 50. As from the age of 40 onwards, people start to have tired eyes, specialists recommend that adults see an ophthalmologist. It is not impossible, however, that the pathology appears in younger patients.
Glaucoma is one of the main causes of blindness in the world, along with cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Among these, cataracts are reversible. “If you operate, the patient improves, regains his vision”.
The same does not occur with glaucoma, which is the second cause of vision loss, but it is the main cause of irreversible blindness. Bruno Esporcatte said that there are few studies in Brazil on the prevalence of the disease.
THEIR
For the diagnosis of glaucoma, the doctor said that sophisticated instruments are not necessary. In the laboratory itself, the ophthalmologist can perform a fundus examination and measure the intraocular pressure. There are many treatment options across the country, he said. “Today, in most cities, there are places where the population can get medication for free”.
Although there is no cure, it is possible to stop the vision loss caused by glaucoma with proper medication, which includes the use of eye drops, as well as laser treatment or surgery.
