The General Council of Colleges of Opticians-Optometrists (Cgcoo) assured that the early detection of glaucoma could prevent 9 out of 10 cases of blindness due to this asymptomatic disease in its early stages, an annual examination by a specialist could prevent the severity of the pathology.
On the occasion of the celebration this Sunday of the world glaucoma daythe Cgcoo warned that half a million Spaniards They suffer from glaucoma and are unaware of it, which is why they can suffer from low vision or even blindness if they do not go to the doctor regularly.
It should also be remembered, as indicated by opticians-optometrists, that visits to optical health establishments to undergo a visual examination make it possible to detect the signs establishing a pathological suspicion and to refer early to an ophthalmologist to be able to treat this pathology. on time. .
This disease affects more than one million people in Spain and is the second leading cause of vision loss worldwide after the falls.
Glaucoma is an irreversible damage to the optic nerve whose most relevant cause is often a elevated intraocular pressure. Lesions that occur in the optic nerve cause a progressive restriction of the useful visual field and ultimately affect the ability to see and lead to blindness.
blurred vision
In most cases and in the initial stages, “the patient does not feel no discomfort no symptoms until the onset of permanent visual impairment and irreversible“, explained the president of the Cgcoo, Juan Carlos Martínez Moral, who insisted on the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of the disease in its infancy. In fact, with an annual examination “cases of blindness could be reduced by 90%”he added.
“The patient experiences no discomfort or symptoms until permanent and irreversible visual impairment occurs”
Although this eye condition can appear at any age, certain groups of patients are more prone to developing it in one or both eyes, such as people over 40who can go check their intraocular pressure at least once a year at their doctor’s office or at any optical health facility.
On the other hand, also people with family history glaucoma, black race, diabetics, patients with high intraocular pressure or high myopia (greater than five diopters) are groups with a higher probability of suffering from glaucoma, so they can go and have their intraocular pressure checked at least once a year at any optical health facility, as advised by experts.
In these control examinations, the symptoms can be evaluated and the suspicious signs that advise to refer to the ophthalmologist can be analyzed.