MIAMI. – World Health Organization (OMS) records that more than one billion people around the world live with visual impairment due to not receiving care for conditions such as myopia, farsightedness, glaucoma and cataracts.
World Glaucoma Day is March 12. It is a disease It damages the optic nerve and usually occurs when fluid builds up in the front of the eye. Increased intraocular pressure is the main cause of glaucoma.
Eye pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and its normal range varies between 12 and 22 mm Hg.
The optic nerve contains more than a million fibers that carry visual messages: it connects the back of each eye, its retina, to the brain. Damage to this nerve results in a progressive and painless loss of the patient’s visual field, initially in the peripheral aspect, but in an advanced state it can cause vision loss.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology notes that the human eye constantly produces aqueous humor and that when new humor flows, the same amount must be drained. “The fluid drains through an area called the drain angle. This process keeps the pressure in the eye, intraocular pressure, stable. If the drain angle is not working properly, fluid builds up. The pressure inside the eye increases and this damages the optic nerve,” explains the Academy.
According to the WHO, glaucoma represents the second cause of blindness in the world, while the first is cataracts.
Atention to pacients
Research on glaucoma indicates that the best way to control the disease is through early detection and with treatment to prevent vision loss.
“Los patients Those in need of eye care should be able to receive quality interventions without suffering financial hardship. Including eye care in national health plans and essential packages of services is an important part of each country’s path towards universal health coverage,” underlines the WHO.
Specialists recommend ophthalmological consultation to control eye pressure, especially after age 40.
@snederr
Source: WHO/ International Day Portal / American Academy of Ophthalmology
