I thought it was just cataracts, but I didn't expect it was glaucoma. The delay in seeing a doctor left my father with only tunnel vision.

Thinking that he just had cataracts, the 60-year-old man didn't take it seriously, but he actually developed glaucoma, with his left eye vision reduced to 0.04 and his visual field irreversibly damaged. Although he underwent surgery, the lost visual field could not be restored.

Two years ago, 69-year-old Li Daddy (pseudonym) found that he had mild cataracts during a community health check-up, so he had been using eye drops for treatment. A year ago, his left eye began to swell, and the symptoms did not improve after taking medication, and his vision became increasingly blurred. It was not until it seriously affected his daily life that he came to the Wuhan University Aier Eye Hospital accompanied by his wife for treatment.

After examination, it was found that the naked eye vision of Uncle Li's right eye was 1.0, and the intraocular pressure was 20 mmHg. The naked eye vision of his left eye was only 0.04, and the intraocular pressure was as high as 38 mmHg, which was beyond the normal range. In addition, his visual field was severely defective, with a tubular visual field. Wu Zuohong, director of the hospital's glaucoma department, said that Uncle Li had primary open-angle glaucoma and senile cataracts in both eyes. Currently, his right eye needs laser treatment and his left eye needs surgery. Last week, Director Wu Zuohong performed surgery on Uncle Li. At present, Uncle Li's condition has been controlled, but the loss of vision in his left eye cannot be recovered.

"Senior cataracts, which are common among the elderly, are degenerative diseases caused by aging of the lens. Just like wrinkles and white hair, it is the result of natural aging of the human body. Almost all elderly people over 80 years old suffer from cataracts. Glaucoma is not caused by aging, and not all elderly people will suffer from it. Its cause is that the pressure inside the eye exceeds the tolerance of the optic nerve in the fundus, causing damage to the optic nerve in the fundus." Director Wu Zuohong said that if glaucoma is mistaken for cataracts and medical treatment is delayed, the increased intraocular pressure will continue to compress the optic nerve in the fundus, causing irreversible damage.

He reminded that primary open-angle glaucoma is usually relatively hidden, and most patients have no symptoms in the early stage, so it is often ignored. As the disease progresses, patients may experience mild eye swelling, visual fatigue, blurred vision and other symptoms. In the late stage, the visual field is severely damaged, and patients may experience poor night vision and difficulty in movement, eventually leading to permanent blindness.