The doctor spoke about the importance of early diagnosis of glaucoma and its progression

Glaucoma is one of the most insidious eye diseases. It develops gradually, asymptomatically, and is often diagnosed in the late stages, when a significant part of visual functions is irretrievably lost. Sino Goziev, an ophthalmologist and ophthalmic surgeon at JSC Meditsina (Academician Roitberg Clinic), Ph.D., told Izvestia on September 16 about why the loss of peripheral vision occurs unnoticed.

"The central nervous system has an amazing ability to adapt — this phenomenon is called neuroplasticity. When "blind spots" (scotomas) begin to appear in the field of vision, the brain automatically "fills" them with information from the surrounding areas or uses data from the second eye," the specialist said.

Goziev noted that glaucoma develops slowly, and the brain manages to adapt to each new stage of vision loss. Unlike cataracts or inflammations, this disease does not cause painful sensations in the early stages, which also contributes to the fact that it is not noticed.

"Noticeable complaints occur, as a rule, in the late stages of glaucoma, when the loss of the visual field becomes significant — more than 50% of the peripheral zones are already affected; scotomas begin to merge, forming tunnel vision; patients complain: "it's like looking through a tube", "I don't see what's going on on the sides", "I often stumble into corners," "I don't navigate well in the dark," the ophthalmologist said, adding that by this time 70-90% of the optic nerve fibers had already been lost, and it was impossible to restore them.

According to him, methods such as perimetry, optical coherence tomography (OCT), gonioscopy and tonometry are important for the early diagnosis of glaucoma. These studies make it possible to identify defects at an early stage, even those that are invisible to the patient. An analysis of the optic nerve disc can also reveal an increase in excavation, which is an alarming sign.

Goziev told Izvestia on September 14 that vision problems often develop due to excessive strain on the eyes caused by the constant use of gadgets. As a result, the visual muscles stop functioning normally, which leads to eye fatigue and decreased image clarity. Their condition can also be affected by using the wrong glasses or contact lenses.

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