More than one million Spaniards suffer from glaucoma, but half is unknown to him.

-The early diagnosis of glaucoma would prevent 95% of the cases of blindness.

-2% of persons over the age of 45 years and 3.5% of those over 70 years suffer from this condition, the second cause of blindness globally world.

-the President of the Council General of schools of optometry, Juan Carlos Martínez Moral, remember that glaucoma is asymptomatic, and therefore, it is essential that anyone older than 45 go to measure your intraocular pressure at least once a year, a very simple test that can be performed in any health facility optical ”.

Madrid, March of 2013. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world, only surpassed by the falls, according to data from the World Health Organization. Despite its gravity, half of the population affected by glaucoma unknown it, since it does not usually cause symptoms that warn of the pathology. The problem is that, if not detected and treated early, glaucoma can cause low vision and even blindness in 5% of cases. With a diagnosis early cases of blindness are preventable by 95%.

According to the President of the General Council of colleges of optometry, Juan Carlos Martínez Moral it is estimated that only in our country glaucoma affects more than one million people and its incidence increases with age ”. Thus, in the 50 to 59 age group, the incidence stands at 2.1%. This figure amounts to 2.3 per cent in people aged 60 to 69 and, once past 70, reached 3.5%.

The optometrist, ally in the screening

Glaucoma is an irreparable injury of the optic nerve, normally caused by a sharp increase in intraocular pressure. This injury causes a progressive loss of vision, which normally starts at the periphery of the visual field. Specialists tend to qualify to glaucoma as the silent enemy ” since, in the majority of cases, the patient does not experience no discomfort or symptoms until there is a permanent and irreversible visual loss. Hence the importance of early diagnosis and treatment in early stages.

For this reason, and coinciding with the world Glaucoma day, the General Council of colleges of Optometry has wanted to educate the population over 45 years of the importance of undergoing an annual eye examination in a health facility of optics. The optometrist is the primary eyecare professional and has the necessary training to detect glaucoma in its early stages, before the patient suffers a major and irreversible visual loss.

According to Juan Carlos Martínez Moral, President of the General Council of Optometry schools, that detection is based on an exploration of the fundus and the measurement of intraocular pressure. The optometry made these and other scans routinely in health facilities of optical ”.

who can you affect a glaucoma?

Although glaucoma can occur at any age, some groups of patients are more likely to develop the disease in one or both eyes and, therefore, must attend revisions at least once year:

-45s that have not had an eye exam in the last few years.

-people with a family history of glaucomaespecially immediate family members such as parents or siblings.

-patients with intraocular pressure high.

-people with high myopia (greater than 5 diopter). Myopic eye optic nerve is more susceptible to injury than the of the myopic No.

patients medicated with corticosteroids (in any of its forms of Administration).

-people who have had a stroke or trauma to the eye.

-People with diabetes. Increased glucose levels in the blood can cause serious damage in the retina (diabetic retinopathy). Should take good control of diabetes and undergo regular eye check-ups

in case of any of these factors, affect us must go to our optometrist to make us a screening by means of non-contact tonometry, a simple, fast and painless test that the intraocular pressure is measured.