Despite the chronic disease is silent and has no cure, in most cases can be controlled with proper treatment and ongoing - and success in combat is directly linked to early diagnosis.
The initial clinical therapy is done with eye drops that stabilize the intraocular pressure. If the drug becomes ineffective, the patient is a candidate for glaucoma surgery.
Let the new implant
Called Ex-PRESS and produced by Alcon, the product has passed the Anvisa and from July will be available in Brazil. The United States, Canada and European Union already have the method.
The device, about the size of a grain of rice, is implanted near the iris in order to drain excess fluid that can impair vision.
Enables better and more predictable surgical outcome when compared to traditional surgery for glaucoma (trabeculectomy), performed in patients who do not respond to topical medications.
The disease has no symptoms and is progressive, so most patients find that has the disease when vision loss is now inevitable, warns Dr. John Anthony Prata Jr., president of the Brazilian Society of Glaucoma (SBG).
Prevalence
The disease is disclosed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the leading cause of irreversible blindness, affects about 70 million people worldwide - about 3 million U.S..
In Brazil, where about 1 million people with glaucoma, it is estimated that more than half of patients do not know who has the disease.
The main risk factors are:
- Family history
- Elevated intraocular pressure
- Age over 50 years
- Diabetes mellitus
- Prolonged use of corticosteroids
- Presence of ocular lesions
- African descent