Dajiang Net/Dajiang News Client News: March 6 to 12, 2022 is the 15th “World Glaucoma Week”. “World Glaucoma Week” was co-sponsored by the World Glaucoma Association (WGA) and the World Glaucoma Patient Association (WGPA) in 2008 (from 2008 to 2010 as World Glaucoma Day, since 2011, the second week of March every year has been designated as World Glaucoma Week), which aims to increase people’s attention to glaucoma around the world by “informing” the public, and hopes to make more people and government agencies aware of glaucoma, and then take positive and scientific measures for early intervention It avoids visual impairment, improves people’s quality of life, and reduces the burden on families and society.
Glaucoma can be simply summarized as a disease of optic nerve damage and visual field defect caused by pathological elevated intraocular pressure. It is an irreversible blinding eye disease often referred to by ophthalmologists as “the thief of light”. Except for angle-closure glaucoma with acute elevated intraocular pressure, most other types of glaucoma are ignored in the early stage of the disease because they have no typical symptoms. Only when the disease progresses to the advanced stage, the symptoms that can be detected by the patient will appear. However, at this time, it has caused irreparable loss of visual function.
Glaucoma not only seriously affects the patient’s physical health, but also has a negative impact on the patient’s mental health. Studies have shown that glaucoma patients are 63% more likely to develop depression than the general population, and nearly 35% of newly diagnosed glaucoma patients show symptoms such as nervousness, anxiety or stress.
According to the figures released by the World Health Organization, glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world, second only to cataracts, and the first irreversible cause of blindness in the world. At present, there are about 80 million glaucoma patients in the world. . Dr Remo Susanna, President of the World Glaucoma Society, said: “World Glaucoma Day (Week) provides a platform to reach out to people with glaucoma as well as those who are potentially affected by raising awareness and providing practical advice on early diagnosis and proper treatment. Education.”
The world’s leading glaucoma experts jointly recommended five recommendations in 2009 to help prevent vision loss and effectively control glaucoma:
1. Remember to have a comprehensive eye exam, including Optic nerve examination;
2. Know your intraocular pressure (IOP);
3. Use medicines as prescribed by your doctor;
4. Know what you are facing risk factors, thereby raising awareness of the disease;
5. If you are at risk, please consult an eye health professional. Early diagnosis and proper treatment may reduce the damage of glaucoma.
The main risk factors for glaucoma include:
1. Increasing age (over 40 years old, never having an eye exam);
2. Glaucoma family History (immediate family members such as parents or siblings);
3. High intraocular pressure;
4. Hyperopia or high myopia;
5. Diabetes , hypertension and other abnormal blood rheology.
Liu Xuequn, vice president of Nanchang Aier Eye Hospital and director of Baiqing Specialist, will bring a series of popular science lectures during this year’s Glaucoma Week. In fact, during the annual World Glaucoma Week, ophthalmologists from all over the world, especially glaucoma experts, will use various channels to carry out popular science propaganda to the public, hoping that the public can understand what glaucoma is, and let patients know that doctors can control it through drugs or surgery. Glaucoma; also let people with risk factors such as family history of glaucoma know that doctors can detect glaucoma early through various inspection methods, and all of this is to minimize the risk of visual field damage and vision loss in patients with glaucoma.