Slow-onset eye disease – Sometimes it goes unnoticed until the last stage of treatment for blindness.

– Probably one of the scariest facts about glaucoma is that a person may not feel the symptoms, but the disease will already be and the eyes will already be harmful. It’s true? How can this happen? How long after the start of the disease can you not feel symptoms?

– Primary open-angle glaucoma, or simply glaucoma, is a chronic disease that gradually damages the optic nerve and impairs vision. Because the process is slow, and when viewed with both eyes, one eye often compensates for the other, a person may not experience vision problems until the later stage of the disease. Worst of all, we will no longer be able to restore vision.

– Is it a common disease? How often does it cause blindness?

– According to the World Health Organization, glaucoma is the second most common cause of preventable visual acuity impairment. There are currently around 76 million people in the world with glaucoma. Untreated glaucoma progresses without any obvious symptoms or signs that the person may notice, and vision gradually worsens to blindness. It is estimated that currently there may be more than 10 million people in the world who are blind due to glaucoma.

– What causes glaucoma?

– Damage to the optic nerve develops due to increased pressure within the eye. The eye constantly produces fluid in the eye. The amount of new eye fluid that is produced must flow out of the eye. Eye fluid drains through the corner of the anterior chamber of the eye. If this structure does not work as it should, the accumulated fluid causes pressure in the eye and puts pressure on the most sensitive structure of the eye, the optic nerve. The optic nerve is made up of more than a million nerve fibers that transmit impulses to the brain like an electrical wire. If the optic nerve is compressed, the nerve fibers die and cause “falls” or defects in the field of vision. As they merge, your sight narrows and your vision deteriorates. Blindness develops when all nerve fibers die.

– Who is most at risk for? Maybe there are some risk factors?

– One of the risk factors for uncorrected glaucoma is age. The literature indicates the age at which glaucoma generally begins to develop: 60 years. If there is a family history of glaucoma (parents, grandparents, siblings), a glaucoma screening should be started at age 40. Diabetes, eye damage, and inflammatory eye diseases can also lead to glaucoma.

– How does it manifest itself? Do symptoms appear slowly or suddenly?

– In the early stages of glaucoma, there are no signs of the disease. As glaucoma progresses, eye defects coalesce and vision impairment is felt only when it is too late to return.

– At what age are people infected? Is it just a threat to the elderly?

– Glaucoma is a more common disease in the elderly, but it should be noted that increased intraocular pressure can rarely occur at a younger age, even in people under 40 years of age.

– How can glaucoma be prevented and recognized more quickly?

– The main method of protection is regular preventive examinations, during which the pressure in the eye is measured, the state of the optic nerve is evaluated and the eye area is examined. The main goal of preventive screening is to detect the disease at an early stage and prevent the disease from progressing. Each patient visiting an ophthalmologist should have their intraocular pressure measured, the optic nerve inspected, and additional tests prescribed if necessary.

– How often should we check our eyes so as not to miss such insidious diseases?

– At the age of 40, it is recommended that all people undergo a preventive eye examination, during which a doctor will assess the condition of the eye and related factors. For example, if there is a family with glaucoma, what is the condition of the optic nerve, what is the pressure in the eye and determines when to go for a new visit. If glaucoma runs in the family, a preventive eye exam is recommended every year. If glaucoma is suspected, the attending physician decides the frequency of visits.

– What is the treatment for glaucoma or is it cured completely? Could it be that if a disease is severely neglected, blindness will not be prevented?

– Glaucoma treatment usually begins with medication. The patient is given the drops and explained how to use them. Then, a repeat visit to the patient is made to check if the drops are enough to reduce the pressure in the eye. Additional treatment to the drops can be a laser. During this treatment, for some carefully selected patients, because not all treatments are suitable for them, the laser improves the drainage of fluid in the eye. If eye drops and laser treatment do not help, a surgical treatment of glaucoma should be prescribed, the main goal of which is to reduce the pressure in the eye.

The success of glaucoma treatment is often determined by the patient’s motivation to treat and honest drip. Eye pressure lowering drops work for a short time, 12 to 24 hours, so regular eye drops are very important in controlling eye pressure. Sometimes, even with all efforts, eye pressure can be difficult to control, so doctor-patient collaboration is essential in treating glaucoma.