Page 120 - The Indian Optician Digital Edition September-October 2021
P. 120
CASE STUDY
TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE
EFFECTS OF GLAUCOMA
laucoma is an eye disease that damages the optic
nerve which leads to a severe loss of visual field
Gand incurable blindness. Angle-closure glaucoma
is characterised by the contact between the iris and
the trabecular meshwork. It tends to develop a shallow
anterior chamber in the eyes. The treatment is to control
JAYDEEP G JOGIYA the intraocular pressure while monitoring the angle and
OPTOMETRIST, HARI JYOT COLLEGE optic nerve head, thus minimising the risk of vision loss
OF OPTOMETRY, NAVSARI
in the patient.
According to a survey, the global population affected
by primary closed-angle glaucoma (PACG), is 17.14 million
for a population older than 40 years in 2020, 20.73 million
in 2030, 23.73 million in 2040, and 26.26 million in 2050.
Asia had the highest population of PACG among all
continents in 2020 i.e. 12.30 million, and also in the next
few decades, is likely to account for more than 70% of the
PACG population worldwide. It occurs more in women
than men with a ratio ranging from 1.9-2.2. Slowing
disease progression and preservation of quality of life
are the main goals for glaucoma treatment. Glaucoma
has been developed from being primarily attributed to
increased intraocular pressure (IOP) to the development
of optic neuropathy as the central concept.
Approx. 103 different prognostic factors were
investigated in 85 articles. The following factors were
associated with glaucomatous visual field progression:
age, disc haemorrhages (for NTG), baseline visual field
loss, baseline intraocular pressure (IOP), and exfoliation
syndrome.
Lowering the IOP to a specific target level or a range
of values can stop the progression of the disease. The
target (IOP) pressure should be achieved with minimum
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