Glaucoma, a disease commonly seen in our country and commonly known as 'eye tension', can lead to blindness if not treated early.
Op. Dr. Sedat Selim, one of the doctors at Kaşkaloğlu Eye Hospital, emphasized that early diagnosis and treatment can prevent vision loss in glaucoma that progresses without symptoms.
Stating that there are approximately 70 million glaucoma patients worldwide and approximately 1,5-2 million of them are in our country, Selim said that glaucoma is seen in 40% of people over the age of 2 and 60% of people over the age of 10 in our society.
HALF OF PEOPLE WITH GLAUCOMA DON'T KNOW THEY HAVE THE DISEASE
Emphasizing that almost half of the patients are unaware of their disease because glaucoma does not show any symptoms at the beginning, Selim provided the following information: “Glaucoma is a disease that causes vision loss due to the intraocular pressure rising to the point of damaging the optic nerve. High intraocular pressure damages the optic nerve and causes vision loss leading to blindness if left untreated. If the drainage of the produced eye fluid is prevented, intraocular pressure increases and open-angle glaucoma occurs. This is the most common form of glaucoma. In the rare closed-angle type of glaucoma, eye pressure reaches very high values, causing severe pain and blurred vision. This is usually observed in hypermetropic patients.”
IT IS GOING SLIGHTLY
Noting that glaucoma progresses insidiously, Op. Dr. Sedat Selim said, “In glaucoma, there are usually no symptoms at the beginning, there is no vision disorder or pain. If the disease is not diagnosed early and progresses, blind spots occur in the field of vision due to damage to the optic nerve. Later, objects around cannot be seen as if looking through a pipe. Patients who reach this stage experience a 50% loss of their optic nerves. The main risk factors are the presence of glaucoma in the family, long-term cortisone treatment, intraocular inflammation (uveitis), advanced age, diabetes, high or low body pressure, high myopia or hypermetropia, eye injuries, migraine and anemia.”
SEE A SPECIALIST REGULARLY
Selim, who also stated that there are 3 different treatment methods for glaucoma, continued his words as follows: “These are drops and medication, SLT Laser treatment and, in the final stage, surgical intervention. With these interventions, intraocular fluid pressure is reduced and balanced. In this way, damage to the optic nerves is prevented. If the disease is diagnosed early, 90% success can be achieved in treatment. Measuring intraocular pressure alone is not enough to diagnose this disease.
“Everyone over the age of 40 should definitely be examined by specialist doctors in a fully equipped eye center.”
