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It is an eye disease caused by an increase in the pressure that the eyes normally have. This pressure increase affects the optic nerve, which is in charge of transmitting the information captured by the eye to the brain. The brain's interpretation of these images results in the phenomenon of vision.

Inside our eyes a transparent liquid called aqueous humor is constantly formed. This liquid is regularly drained through the so-called trabecular meshwork, located in the angle between the base of the cornea and the beginning of the iris. When there is any difficulty in the outflow of aqueous humor, or if the eye produces more aqueous humor than the proportion that manages to come out, then the internal pressure of the eyeball increases.

The increased pressure inside the eye affects the blood circulation of the optic nerve, causing optic fibers to die, which in turn causes less information to be sent to the brain. This decrease in the amount of images processed is reflected in decreased vision.

Damage to the optic nerve usually occurs slowly and progressively, without causing pain to the patient. This is why glaucoma is called "the silent thief of vision".

In its initial stage, glaucoma causes loss of peripheral vision. Central vision is the last to be altered. At first, the visual impairment is mild and may be greater in one eye. The vision of the less affected eye compensates for that of the eye with worse vision, and the patient is unaware of the visual loss he or she is experiencing. As the visual impairment occurs slowly and painlessly, the patient becomes aware of the damage when he or she begins to bump into objects around him or her. At this point the damage is already very advanced.

There are factors that may predispose to glaucoma: family history; trauma or ocular inflammation; myopia; arterial hypertension; diabetes; black race; age over 50 years old, among others. Although these are predisposing factors, glaucoma can affect people of all races and ages.

Glaucoma is currently the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. More than half of the people affected by this serious eye disease do not know they suffer from it, which is why an annual ophthalmologic examination is especially important.

During the consultation the doctor will measure the eye pressure and check the appearance of the optic nerve. If necessary, a visual field study (computerized perimetry) will be performed to determine if there is damage to peripheral vision, as well as a papillary OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography), a study that counts the optic nerve fibers and analyzes its structure to determine if it is being affected by eye pressure. Likewise, if the doctor considers it necessary, other tests such as corneal pachymetry and photos of the optic nerve will be performed. The set of these data will define whether the patient suffers from glaucoma or not, in addition to quantifying the existing damage at the time.

If there is vision loss, it cannot be recovered. Glaucoma cannot be cured, but it can be controlled. Treatment will always be aimed at preventing further vision loss. In its initial stage, the ophthalmologist will prescribe medication in drops to reduce eye pressure. In some cases, treatment can be started directly with laser treatment, and in other more advanced cases, the use of drops can be combined with the application of laser rays. In patients where the visual field damage is severe, a surgical procedure will be required.

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