What is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is an insidious eye disease that is the main cause of blindness all around the world. It can occur in all ages, from newborn to elderly. It has different forms, but its most common form is chronic simple glaucoma. A disease with hereditary predisposition, i.e. glaucoma progeny are more likely to suffer.

What are the symptoms?

It usually does not have very subjective symptoms. The disease progresses slowly to the stage of absolute glaucoma in which vision is lost. Light blur of vision, halo around the lights, eye pain, etc. not usually evaluated by the patient, nor is it a symptom of glaucoma. The ophthalmologist with special examinations such as, intraocular pressure, fundoscopy and optical fields does diagnosis of this disease.

What is intraocular pressure?

It is the pressure that the eye has. It is not directly related to blood pressure. It is measured with special instruments called tonometer. Normally, it does not exceed 20-21 mm Hg, without excluding exceptions of plus or minus.

What is fundoscopy?

It is performed with special instruments called ophthalmoscopes. Here we observe the state of the optic nerve and the back of the eye. In advanced glaucoma, the optic nerve presents atrophy.

What is Visual Perimetry?

The main purpose of perimetry is the ultimate diagnosis of glaucoma and the detailed visualization of the visual field lesions due to the destruction of the optic nerve and characterize the progression of the disease. These lesions also occur in low-pressure glaucoma, where, despite low pressure, optic nerve destruction occurs. They may also appear in people who have increased pressure in a point of time that cannot be measured (e.g. night), so they do not understand their problem. To control the field of view there are special devices, automatic blood pressure monitors, which, with the help of computers, examine the patient, analyze and visualize the results with amazing accuracy. It does not mean a diagnostic approach to glaucoma without performing visual fields.

Is there a cure?

Glaucoma is a chronic disease. The purpose of the treatment is to adjust the intraocular pressure to such a limit that does no damage to the field of view. To achieve this we begin with medicines. If drug therapy fails, surgery or LASER is performed. Finally, it should be stressed that avoiding glaucoma blindness depends largely on the patient’s discipline to follow the doctor’s orders.