World Glaucoma Week 2021: No Loss of Vision, No Worries in Life

March 7-13, 2021 is the 14th "World Glaucoma Week". This year's theme is "No loss of vision, no worries in life". World Glaucoma Week is a global action jointly initiated by the World Glaucoma Federation and the World Glaucoma Patients Federation, aiming to let more people know about glaucoma, understand glaucoma, achieve the purpose of early detection and early treatment, and thus avoid permanent vision loss.

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a special optic nerve disease. In most patients, the intraocular pressure is intermittently or continuously elevated. Continuous high intraocular pressure causes optic nerve damage through two mechanisms: mechanical compression and optic nerve ischemia, thus causing irreversible damage to visual function.

In simple terms, there is a room called the anterior chamber inside the eyeball. This room has an inlet and a drain. The water inlet and drain volume are roughly equal, so the amount of aqueous humor remains unchanged, forming a dynamic balance. However, one day, the secretion of aqueous humor increases, the water inlet increases but the drain volume remains unchanged; or the drain volume is blocked, the water inlet remains unchanged but the drain volume decreases.

They cause the same result, there is more water in the room, the water pressure (intraocular pressure) increases, and it begins to squeeze its neighbor next door - the optic nerve. The optic nerve can't bear the burden, so it goes on strike, and visual function begins to be seriously damaged.

Once the optic nerve is damaged, it cannot be repaired and its development can only be delayed, so regular monitoring is necessary to ensure that “vision is not lost and life is worry-free”.

Early check

As long as glaucoma can be detected and treated early, most glaucoma patients can keep the "peripheral vision" they need for life during their lifetime. If the following symptoms appear in your eyes, you should pay special attention

1. Nausea and vomiting;

2. Eye swelling and headache;

3. Significant decrease in vision;

4. Increased intraocular pressure and reduced visual field.

5. At night, when you look at lights, colorful halos appear, like a rainbow in the sky after rain, which is called rainbow vision.

If the above symptoms occur, it is recommended to go to a regular ophthalmology hospital as soon as possible.

Beware of glaucoma, 5 groups of people need early examination

1. People with high myopia of more than 600 degrees;

2. Family history of glaucoma;

3. Hypertension;

4. Diabetes;

5. People over 40 years old.

monitor

Glaucoma is a lifelong disease. Patients should learn to "coexist peacefully" with glaucoma, treat it with a positive and optimistic attitude, fully cooperate with doctors, and regularly check and monitor to control intraocular pressure within the ideal range. Most patients can maintain good visual function during their lifetime. Our hospital's glaucoma department has a professional medical team with rich experience in handling various difficult and complex glaucoma cases. The department also took the lead in Hubei Province to carry out a new minimally invasive glaucoma surgery-ABiC, which opened a new chapter in minimally invasive treatment of glaucoma surgery and provided more glaucoma patients with a new method of minimally invasive, reliable, safe and effective. According to the different conditions of patients, we provide patients with comprehensive individualized treatment plans.