Have you heard about glaucoma during World Glaucoma Week? Wondering if this condition affects you? Our optician, Sarah Marlien, can help you understand more clearly.

What is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a disease that affects the optic nerve, gradually and irreversibly destroying it. This disease is often linked to increased pressure inside the eye. World Glaucoma Week is held annually. This year, it will take place from March 9 to 14, 2020.

When suffering from glaucoma, the patient sees his visual field gradually narrow, starting with the periphery.

There are two predominant types of glaucoma:

- open-angle glaucoma,

- closed glaucoma.

This disease is the second leading cause of blindness in the world, AMD (age-related macular degeneration) is the leading cause of blindness in the world.

It is very important to have screening and check-ups once a year from the age of 40. Glaucoma is often asymptomatic at first, and the damage caused is irreversible.

We tell you everything about glaucoma

The aqueous humor in the eye is like the air in a balloon that allows the eye to maintain its shape and optical properties; it is produced by the ciliary bodies and evacuated by the trabecular meshwork.

• The most common glaucoma is open-angle glaucoma (90% of cases). It is due to poor elimination of aqueous humor and leads to an increase in intraocular pressure.
• The second type of glaucoma, caused by closure of the iridocorneal angle, results in a reduction in the passage of aqueous humor towards the trabeculae.

This blockage increases pressure. This disease progresses rapidly and is an emergency because the eye's life depends on it.

Risk factors for glaucoma

Risk factors for glaucoma include:
- myopia,

- heredity,

- age, in fact, after 40 years, the risks are higher,

- diabetes,

- high blood pressure,

- the corricoid in the long term.

Glaucoma screening

The main risk is the loss of the field of vision. This is painless and the patient generally does not realize anything (except at a more advanced stage or for angle-closure glaucoma which evolves very quickly and can cause severe pain such as headaches, redness and colored halos around light sources). Only a fundus examination can identify the optic nerve papilla and confirm or not the diagnosis. Normal pressure does not necessarily mean that you do not have glaucoma. In some cases the pressure does not change immediately.

Only a visual field can highlight stocomas (loss of vision in certain areas of the visual field).

Treatment and advice for glaucoma

There is no curative treatment. When faced with glaucoma, one can:

• reduce the production of aqueous humor (beta-blocker),
• increase its elimination (with prostaglandin analogues).

Treatment must be maintained for life. Surgical or laser treatment may be considered in certain cases.

It is best not to smoke, to have a healthy diet (eat fruits and vegetables), to exercise regularly, to avoid caffeine and to be careful in the sun (protection with sunglasses with a good UV index).