Glaucoma is a poorly understood disease and can potentially lead to blindness if it goes undetected. It affects 2% of the population in France, which is nearly one million people.
It is a sneaky condition because it goes unnoticed during the initial phases: painless, without significant visual disturbance, the disease progresses irreversibly without the patient’s knowledge.
Friday, January 19, 2007 from 9 am to 4 pm
St Roch Hospital
Place Marshall – Nice
Program for the day
– Information stand about glaucoma with posters and brochures available for the public
– Screening stand with eye pressure and visual field testing, and a discussion area
If a patient is diagnosed with glaucoma, they will be able to have a consultation with an ophthalmologist to discuss next steps.
What happens?
It involves an increase in pressure within the eye, which leads to the destruction of the optic nerve, whose fibers do not regenerate. The fibers of the peripheral visual field are affected first, which is why the patient does not notice anything initially. Then gradually (over several years), the entire optic nerve is destroyed and the patient becomes permanently blind.
How do you know if you have it?
Screening is simple: it is enough to have the eye pressure measured with a special device by an ophthalmologist. Normal pressure is between 10 and 20 mmHg. If the pressure is abnormal, the doctor will perform further tests to evaluate the extent of optic nerve damage (eye exam, visual field test, OCT, etc.).
What are the treatments?
In the majority of cases, if the medical treatment is well followed, it can stop the disease and prevent it from progressing to blindness. If medications based on eye drops are not sufficient, other therapies like laser and/or surgery are used.
