Ophthalmologist Dr. Mariya Benova: Glaucoma is a leading cause of vision loss worldwide

On the occasion of World Glaucoma Week and the free examinations, which are organized at the Specialized Eye Clinic ‘PENTAGRAM’ for this occasion, one of our most sought-after ophthalmologists – Dr. Mariya Benova – was a guest on the program ‘Good Morning, Europe’ on Euronews Bulgaria.

The term ‘glaucoma’ has been known since the time of Hippocrates, deriving from the Greek word ‘glaukos’, which means blue-green, possibly describing a patient with corneal swelling and an acute glaucoma attack. Over the years, the concept has been refined, and today we understand ‘glaucoma’ as a group of diseases with different causes, Dr. Benova shared on Euronews Bulgaria.

She explained that glaucoma is a leading cause of vision loss worldwide. The disease is also ranked as the top cause of irreversible blindness. The doctor noted that whether symptoms occur and what they might be depends on the form of glaucoma.

Acute glaucoma attack , for example, occurs with very typical symptoms – extreme increase in intraocular pressure, accompanied by pain and headache, as well as blurred vision.

At the same time, the most common form of glaucoma – primary open-angle glaucoma – does not show any symptoms, Dr. Benova further explained.

The disease is socially significant due to its widespread nature.

Risk factors:

• High intraocular pressure. It damages the nerve fibers in the retina, leading to vision loss. Usually, high intraocular pressure in primary open-angle glaucoma (the most common type) does not show symptoms, so regular check-ups are important.
• Age – the frequency of glaucoma increases with age
• Heredity – having a close relative with the disease raises the risk tenfold of developing the disease
• Thinning of the cornea
• Myopia

The goal of treatment is to stop the progression of the disease and preserve vision.
In diagnostics and treatment, there are some important aspects that the ophthalmologist should pay attention to:

• The severity of the disease at diagnosis
• Whether both eyes are affected
• The age of the patient
  In a young patient with involvement of both eyes, the risk of developing the disease to a degree that seriously worsens their quality of life is much higher compared to an older patient with single-eye involvement..

The goal of the treatment is to achieve a target intraocular pressure at which the progression of the disease stops.

The treatment consists of three main types:

• Medication therapy
  We start with one type of eye drops, and if we do not achieve the desired effect, a second, third, or fourth type is added. We always choose preservative-free ones because glaucoma treatment lasts for a very long time. If we still do not achieve the necessary effect, we resort to

• Laser treatment
  If the laser treatment also does not yield the expected result, we move on to

• Surgical treatment
  It is important to know that one should not wait too long before surgical treatment because the goal is to preserve vision and quality of life.

You can watch Dr. Benova’s participation in ‘Good Morning, Europe’ on Euronews Bulgaria >>> HERE