This disease is one of the main causes of blindness in the world, along with cataracts, diabetic retinopathy and other retinal problems.

Glaucoma is a chronic and slowly progressive disease whose main characteristic is the involvement or damage of the optic nerve and loss of the visual field; being associated, in most cases, with elevated eye pressure. This disease, which is estimated that more than 60 million people worldwide suffer from it, but only half know it, is one of the main causes of blindness in the world, along with cataracts, diabetic retinopathy and other retinal problems. It usually occurs mostly in people over 60 years of age, but can appear at any age.

Bearing in mind that vision loss caused by glaucoma cannot be recovered, it is important to visit an ophthalmologist to perform regular eye exams that include eye pressure measurements to generate an early diagnosis and be able to treat it properly, since, when it is detected in At an early stage, vision loss can be slowed or prevented.

The term glaucoma encompasses a group of eye disorders that cause damage to the optic nerve (the "cable" made up of nerve fibers that carries information from the eyes to the brain), causing vision loss and possible blindness. Damage to this nerve usually occurs mostly with high intraocular pressure, although it can also occur when the eye pressure is normal or when it is below the normal level.

Cali Ophthalmology Clinic, the only institution in southwestern Colombia that has all services permanently in one place.

The average of this pressure ranges between 10 and 20 millimeters of mercury (gauge pressure unit), therefore, when a measurement greater than or equal to 22 is presented, it is considered ocular hypertension. Once a sufficient number of nerve cells have died, blind spots or scotomas begin to appear in the visual field, first in the periphery and later in central vision when they reach an advanced stage.

Most glaucoma patients have no symptoms and only notice the disease in an advanced stage, that is, it is an asymptomatic disease. Currently there are many clinical tests that help ophthalmologists to detect the disease early, such as tonometry (measurement of intraocular pressure), perimetry (examination of the visual field), gonioscopy (assessment of the angle), tomography (structural examination of the optic nerve) or ophthalmoscopy (examination of the optic nerve head).

The Cali Ophthalmology Clinic is positioned as the only institution in southwestern Colombia that has all services permanently in one place, and with the best trained specialists to detect, prevent and treat any condition related to any visual pathology. Our doctors take into account a number of factors before diagnosing a patient with glaucoma, so it is important to schedule regular eye check-ups in order to enjoy the best possible visual health. Schedule your appointment, don't let glaucoma steal your vision.

Fuente: El País – Ver nota original