A man was diagnosed with glaucoma but didn't take it seriously, and now his visual field has been reduced by one-third

After the man was diagnosed with glaucoma, he did not take it seriously. Unexpectedly, his visual field has now been lost by one third.

Mr. Wang, 43, lives in Nanhu. In December last year, he felt his eyes were a little swollen. He went to the hospital for a checkup and found that he had glaucoma. Because his eyesight was good at the time and the symptoms of eye swelling disappeared later, Mr. Wang forgot about the doctor's advice to go to the hospital for regular checkups. It was not until the past few weeks that Mr. Wang suddenly found a black spot in his left eye when he looked at things, so he rushed to the Aier Eye Hospital affiliated to Wuhan University for treatment.

Expert surgery

Last week, Mr. Wang was examined and found that his left eye's intraocular pressure was as high as 44 mmHg, far beyond the normal range. Through visual field examination, it was found that Mr. Wang's left eye's visual field had lost one-third, and surgery was needed to control the intraocular pressure, but the lost vision and visual field could not be restored. Wu Zuohong, director of the hospital's glaucoma department, said that if he could follow the doctor's advice and follow up on time, control the intraocular pressure, and understand the progress of the disease, the visual field defect would not have deteriorated so quickly. Currently, through surgery, Mr. Wang's condition is under control.

"Primary open-angle glaucoma, also known as chronic simple glaucoma, is an eye disease caused by elevated intraocular pressure that leads to optic nerve damage, visual field loss, and ultimately blindness. Because it progresses very slowly and has no obvious symptoms, it is not easy to detect in the early stages." Director Wu Zuohong explained that patients can usually only go to the hospital to check their intraocular pressure, so regular follow-up is required to effectively avoid high intraocular pressure that continues to damage the optic nerve, resulting in visual field loss or even blindness. As a chronic disease, most patients are able to follow the doctor's orders and follow up on time after developing glaucoma, but there are still some patients who fail to pay enough attention and do not go to the hospital for follow-up on time, losing the opportunity to adjust the treatment plan in time due to changes in the condition, resulting in impaired visual function.

Glaucoma is similar to hypertension and diabetes. It is a lifelong disease that requires long-term or even lifelong treatment. Director Wu Zuohong reminds that once diagnosed, it is necessary to strictly follow the doctor's instructions for treatment and follow-up visits on time. Even if the glaucoma patients have been treated with drugs or have undergone surgery and their condition is stable, they should go to the hospital for examination at least two to three times a year to detect changes in their condition at any time and adjust the treatment plan. This is the best way to protect the remaining vision and ensure the quality of life.