Why is glaucoma called the "thief of vision" and who is prone to this disease?

Glaucoma is the world's leading irreversible blinding eye disease and is threatening the public's vision. The prevalence of glaucoma in people over 40 years old in my country is as high as 2%. The disease is not exclusive to the elderly, and can be suffered by infants, young adults, and most patients have no symptoms in the early stages, so it is also called the "thief of vision."

What symptoms may indicate a silent visit from the “vision thief”?

Glaucoma is a group of diseases characterized by optic atrophy and visual field loss. The core cause is increased intraocular pressure compressing the optic nerve. Under normal circumstances, the aqueous humor circulation maintains stable intraocular pressure. Once the aqueous humor drainage channel is blocked, the intraocular pressure will rise. Continuous high intraocular pressure will compress the optic nerve, causing the visual field to shrink from the periphery to the center, and eventually blindness. The visual damage is irreversible.

Huang Jingjing, chief physician of the Zhongshan Ophthalmology Department of Sun Yat-sen University, said that normal intraocular pressure is 10 to 20. If the intraocular pressure soars to 25, 30 or even higher, glaucoma may occur.

Glaucoma can be divided into acute and chronic types. In an acute attack, the eyes become red and painful, and vision drops dramatically, which makes people miserable. Chronic glaucoma is more "cunning". Usually, you just feel tired, uncomfortable, and a little swollen in the eyes, and there will be a rainbow circle when you look at the lights. Sometimes you suddenly cover one eye and find that your vision is poor and your field of vision has become smaller. By the time you realize it, glaucoma has already stolen your vision without you noticing.

Which groups of people are "favored" by glaucoma?

Huang Jingjing said that glaucoma is hereditary to a certain extent. If someone in your family has had it, you should pay attention to it during the physical examination. The incidence of glaucoma in some young people with severe myopia is higher than that of non-myopic people. People with hyperopia, high intraocular pressure, and those who have had uveitis, eye trauma, or long-term use of certain hormone drugs are also at high risk of glaucoma.

Some bad living habits can also increase the risk of glaucoma: in daily life, looking at electronic products for a long time, and the smaller the screen, the greater the damage to the ocular surface; drinking a lot of water suddenly may increase intraocular pressure for some people at risk of glaucoma; turning off the lights to play with mobile phones and other electronic products can easily cause macular degeneration, and staying up late for a long time will affect the endocrine system and cause autonomic nervous system dysfunction, which in turn affects intraocular pressure.

It should be noted that glaucoma is not just an "old age disease", it is a crisis for all ages↓↓↓

Protect your eyesight and say "no" to glaucoma

Although glaucoma is scary, as long as it is detected, diagnosed and treated early, the damage to vision can be reduced.

When looking at the screen, do not turn off the lights, do not get too close, and do not watch electronic products for too long.

Avoid drinking a lot of water in a short period of time and eat less irritating food.

Foods like grape skins and allicin that have nerve-protecting effects can be eaten more appropriately.

Considering the characteristics and pathogenesis of glaucoma, we should pay attention to the prevention of glaucoma↓↓↓

Regular eye examinations: People over 40 years old should have a comprehensive eye examination every year, including intraocular pressure measurement, fundus examination, etc. People at high risk, such as those with a family history of glaucoma and high myopia, should shorten the examination interval or have an examination earlier.

Control systemic diseases: Actively control systemic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to reduce the risk of glaucoma.

Avoid hormone abuse: Local and systemic hormone drugs should be used reasonably under the guidance of a doctor to avoid long-term use or abuse.