Glaucoma

The second leading cause of blindness in developed countries, glaucoma is a common eye disease that is painless, painless and progresses more or less rapidly. Affecting some 800,000 French people every year, this pathology is due to excessive pressure within the eye, gradually destroying the optic nerve that transmits information from the retina to the brain. However, acute glaucoma can be more or less painful, causing nausea and headaches.

Affecting all ages, but most common in people over 70, glaucoma can only be discovered through an ophthalmological examination. The specialist will perform a fundus examination and measure eye pressure, which will reveal the presence of glaucoma. If not treated quickly, glaucoma can lead to blindness, so prevention and early detection are essential. To treat glaucoma, medical treatment is recommended, which in some cases can even be surgical. This treatment can halt the progression of glaucoma, but cannot restore vision in advanced cases.

The consequences of glaucoma

Glaucoma not only alters the visual field, it also causes blind spots around the object being observed. Loss of vision initially occurs at the extremities (peripheral vision), then gradually spreads to the center of vision.

A real visual handicap, glaucoma is difficult to detect. As a result, some 400,000 people are unaware that they have the disease. Also, glaucoma can be difficult to diagnose, as only one eye can be affected: the healthy eye will compensate for the vision defects of the affected eye.