Glaucoma is a silent condition with no symptoms that causes blindness without a warning. Luckily, it can be prevented.
Diabetics, people with high blood pressure, and people with a family history have an increased risk of developing this disease, the second leading cause of blindness worldwide.
Marisela Salas, director of the Ophthalmology Clinic of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), sustains that vascular diseases are associated with the onset of this condition.
The World Glaucoma Day was held on Sunday and doctors reminded people about the importance of having a routine ophthalmological check every 2 or 3 years.
Prevention is key to save your sight, as early diagnosis allow specialists to control the disease. In most cases, glaucoma is detected when the patient completely or partially lost their vision.
If there is a history in the family, the patient should have a routine check as soon as possible, even since childhood,”
emphasized Dr. Salas.
One of the essential tests is the measurement of eye pressure. The condition is not necessarily synonymous with high blood pressure, but the optic nerves cannot handle that pressure in the eye.
Patients with glaucoma may experience that their focus is closing from a large space to a small space, as if they were looking through the end of a pipe.