Gradual loss of vision –

Glaucoma, “silent blindness,” affects 2% of the population over 40 years of age and 14% of those over 60 years of age in Mexico, reports the federal Ministry of Health (SSA).

In Yucatán, 54,253 people have vision disabilities; That 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, Yucatán ranks 21st among the 32 entities in Mexico that have the most inhabitants with disabilities to see.

The leader is the State of Mexico, with 353,735 people, and in last place is Baja California Sur, with 16,378 people.

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

What is glaucoma? Ophthalmological surgeon Henry Maldonado Rivas, from the Mérida Clinic, summarizes it: glaucoma is damage to the optic nerve, which is a tiny “thread” that connects the eye to the brain.

Glaucoma arises because fluid accumulates in the front part of the eye, the area where our pupil and iris are.

Although it may not seem like much, this fluid causes the pressure to increase in the eye and that is why the optic nerve is damaged, details Maldonado Rivas, a specialist recertified for the period 2024-2028 by the Mexican Council of Ophthalmology.

Both the SSA and the World Health Organization recommend that everyone have their eyes checked once or twice a year because the only weapon against glaucoma is early detection, to avoid irreversible vision loss.

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

Regarding the treatment for glaucoma, the SSA specifies that it may include laser surgery (microinvasive) or medication, depending on the evolution and severity of the 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 the majority of patients have no symptoms.— Flor Estrella Santana