Glaucoma prevention / Early detection of glaucoma
Glaucoma is an eye disease that usually progresses chronically over many years, often goes unnoticed by patients for a long time, and can lead to blindness if left untreated. Glaucoma is more common in older people (aged 40 and above).
The most common form of the disease, primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), usually affects both eyes but does not cause any early symptoms. Later on, those affected who have not been treated notice a marked restriction of their field of vision or even loss of central vision in the more severely affected eye. Although glaucoma rarely leads to blindness, the later it is diagnosed, the higher the risk of blindness. It is therefore advisable to have appropriate tests for early detection of glaucoma during routine eye examinations.
The German Ophthalmological Society recommends that people aged 40 and over who do not have glaucoma have a glaucoma screening every two years. For people over 65, glaucoma screening should even be carried out annually. People at risk should have an annual eye examination from the age of 35.
Certain individuals have a higher risk of glaucoma than others Risk factors:
Age > 40 years; first-degree relatives with glaucoma; myopia; diabetes mellitus; vascular factors: migraine or cold hands and feet.
Most cases of glaucoma are caused by increased intraocular pressure. This causes damage to the optic nerve. However, there are also types of glaucoma that develop without increased intraocular pressure (normal-pressure glaucoma). On the other hand, there are cases with moderately increased intraocular pressure that show no signs of visual impairment or optic nerve damage. The disease in these cases is called ocular hypertension (high eye pressure).
