go to the eye doctor or blindness

In Yucatan 54,253 people have vision disabilitiesdue to glaucoma and other diseases, says the Inegi

Hoy March 12 is he International Glaucoma Daythe “silent blindness” that affects two percent of the population over 40 years of age and 14% of those over 60 years of age in Mexico, reports the Federal Ministry of Healthl (SSA).

glaucoma, “the silent thief of vision”is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide, after cataracts, say the SSA and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Glaucoma causes irreversible blindness

Unlike cataracts, vision loss due to glaucoma is irreversible, both institutions highlight.

Glaucoma is not on the list of diseases monitored in the SSA’s weekly Epidemiological Bulletin.

However the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) includes glaucoma in disabilities to see.

A disability to seedefines the Inegi, is the total loss of vision, visual weakness (people who only see shadows or lumps) and other limitations that cannot be overcome with the use of lenses, such as retinal detachment, in only one eye or both. two.

Yucatán, the 12th. with fewer disabled people to see

In Yucatán, 54,253 people have vision disabilitiesThat is, 2.3% of the total of 2,320,989 inhabitants, a percentage that exceeds the national 2.1, according to the 2020 Inegi Census.

According to Inegi, Yucatan It ranks 21st among the 32 entities in Mexico that have the most inhabitants with disabilities to see. The leader is the State of Mexicoor, with 353,735 people, and in last place is Baja California Surwith 16,378 people.

Campeche It is the third state with the fewest people with visual disabilities, 23,964 people, after Colimacon 17,487. Quintana Roo It is seventh, with 32,184 cases.

At the national level, 2,691,338 people have visual disabilities, 2.1% of the total of 126,014,024 inhabitants of Mexico, reports Inegi.

People with glaucoma in Mexico and the world

However, the Isste reported in 2023 that, according to the SSA, it is estimated that In Mexico, one and a half million people live with glaucoma and 50% of them are unaware that they suffer from it because they do not present perceptible symptoms.

Globally, in 2020 there were 76 million people between 40 and 80 years of age with glaucoma, in 2024 there would be 83.6 million individuals with “silent blindness” and by 2030 there will be 95.4 million people with glaucoma, an increase of 1.3 times in a decade, the WHO in turn warns in its World Vision Report.

Glaucoma: damage to the optic nerve

But what is glaucoma itself? The ophthalmic surgeon Henry Maldonado Rivasfrom the Mérida Clinic in Yucatán, summarizes it: glaucoma is damage to the optic nervewhich is a tiny “thread” that connects the eye to the brain.

He Glaucoma occurs because fluid builds up in the front of the eyearea where our pupil and iris are. It is fluidor, although it may seem little, causes pressure to increase in the eye and thus damages the optic nervedetails Maldonado Rivas, a recertified specialist for the period 2024-2028 by the Mexican Council of Ophthalmology.

The weapons of medicine against glaucoma

Both the SSA and the WHO They recommend that everyone go for an eye check-up once or twice a year. because the only weapon against glaucoma is early detectionin order to avoid irreversible vision loss.

During the consultation, the specialist checks, among other things, the internal pressure of each eye. If you detect glaucoma, starting treatment early can stop blindness.

About treatment for glaucoma, the SSA specifies that it may include laser surgery (microinvasiva) or medication, depending on the evolution and severity of glaucoma. Typically, he says, eye drops are used first along with medication to reduce intraocular pressure.

Glaucoma is called “the silent thief of vision” because most sufferers have no symptoms.

Symptoms of glaucoma

However, according to the SSA and ophthalmologists, glaucoma symptoms are fluctuating or blurred vision, seeing halos around lights, sometimes described as rainbows; seeing a constant haze, loss of vision (weak or severe), eye and headache pain, redness of the eyes and nausea and vomiting, among others.

Go to the eye doctor or risk blindness

Because symptoms vary depending on the type of glaucoma (open or closed angle, normal tension or pigmentary) and age (children or adults), it is best not to postpone the consultation with a certified ophthalmologist.

This is to rule out that “the furtive thief of vision” already lives in one or, where appropriate, keep it under control, since, the SSA highlights, glaucoma has no curebut yes treatment.

Otherwise, one runs the risk of going blind. In this regard, the association Prevent Blindness America remember that blindness is people’s third main fearafter cancer and heart disease.

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