Nearly 4.4% of Iranians over the age of 40 are affected by the dangerous eye disease, glaucoma. However, glaucoma is not limited to a particular age group and anyone can develop the condition, including infants; but the risk of the disease is higher in older people, and in people over the age of 70 it increases by 5.6%, said Dr. Mohammad Pakravan, Glaucoma Subspecialty Program director at the recent 24th ophthalmology congress.
On this basis, all newborns should be examined by pediatricians and be referred to ophthalmologists, if necessary. If a newborn passes the initial eye evaluation, yet repeat eye testing is recommended at age 3. If the second examination results are normal, then eye testing should be done every 10 years until the age of 40. After age 40, an eye examination is prescribed every 3 years. The screening interval for an individual with positive family history of glaucoma or “suspicious result in past examinations” should be reduced, Mehr News agency quoted Pakravan as saying.
Early Diagnosis
Loss of vision caused by glaucoma is irreversible; therefore early diagnosis is important, as it can prevent advanced permanent optic nerve damage. Because most people with glaucoma have no early symptoms or pain from “this increased pressure,” it is important to visit the ophthalmologist regularly so that it can be diagnosed and treated before long-term visual loss occurs, he stressed.
Glaucoma usually occurs when pressure in your eye increases. This can happen when eye fluid isn’t circulating normally in the front part of the eye. Less common causes of glaucoma include a blunt or chemical injury to the eye, severe eye infection, blockage of blood vessels in the eye, inflammatory conditions, and occasionally eye surgery to correct another condition. Glaucoma usually occurs in both eyes, but it may involve each eye to a different extent.
The disease treatment may include prescription eye drops, laser surgery, or microsurgery.
