Stating that glaucoma ranks 2nd among the causes of blindness in the world, Specialist said. Dr. Mesut Özdemir said, “There are approximately 80 million glaucoma patients in the world. Glaucoma is an eye disease that mostly occurs as a result of increased intraocular pressure damaging the optic nerve. “The incidence gradually increases after the age of 40, but it can also be seen at birth, during childhood and adolescence,” he said.
IMPORTANT WARNING ABOUT GLAUCOMA
Expert stated that intraocular pressure causes vision loss. Dr. Özdemir said, “The optic nerve is responsible for transmitting the light entering the eye through the cornea (transparent layer in front of the eye) during the sense of vision, to the brain after it is perceived by the retina layer (net layer at the back of the eye).
If there is an increase in the production of intraocular fluid (aqueous humour), which is normally present in the eye, or if its flow out of the eye is blocked, intraocular pressure increases.
This high intraocular pressure puts pressure on the optic nerve, which can damage the nerve fibers and lead to vision loss over time.
“GLAUCOMA DOES NOT PROVIDE SYMPTOMS AT THE START”
Glaucoma progresses largely painlessly, insidiously, and does not cause symptoms at first. However, in later periods, symptoms such as narrowing of the visual field, blurred vision, eye pain, and headache may occur.
For this reason, early diagnosis of glaucoma is very important.