Patients
You probably want to know more about glaucoma because either yourself or one of your relatives or friends suffers from the disease or has been confronted with a potential diagnosis of glaucoma. Know that glaucoma is a complex disease because it is not a single entity but rather a group of diseases commonly divided in four different types: chronic open-angle glaucoma, acute angle-closure glaucoma, congenital glaucoma in children, and finally secondary glaucoma. As the first type is by far the most common form of glaucoma our website will mainly focus on this disease and when we use the term “glaucoma” further in the text, know that we use it as short for “chronic open-angle glaucoma”. We will try to explain in simple words what glaucoma is, what the causes of glaucoma are, what the repercussions are on your eye sight and on your quality of life, how it is detected and which treatment modalities are available now. The other three types of glaucoma are much less prevalent and we will discuss them briefly in the end.
It may well be that after reading the information on this website not every aspect of glaucoma will be perfectly clear in your mind. Yet we hope that we are able to convey the most important messages for patients with glaucoma:
- From a certain age on it is important to screen for glaucoma and to rule it out
- If a diagnosis of glaucoma is made, know that :
- Effective treatment is available
- Regular follow up and correct treatment will prevent serious sight loss
- Glaucoma is compatible with a normal, happy life, especially if the disease is detected early and treated correctly
- This diagnosis implies that a life long follow up by an ophthalmologist is mandatory
If you still need more information after going through the website, do not hesitate to consult your ophthalmologist or contact us at info@ophthalmologia.be.